A bronze helmet of Chalcidian typology, the bowl forged from one piece with carination to the skull, long nasal with flared rim, flared edges above the eyes and ear openings; the D-shaped and contoured cheekpieces connected to the bowl by a six-part hinge, attachment hole to each for a chin-strap.

PROVENANCE:
Property of a London businessman; formerly with the Colisseum Project, Delaware, USA, 2005; accompanied by an archaeological report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no. 10292-168753.

LITERATURE:
See Ohly, D., Die Ägineten, Die Ostgiebelgruppe, Munich, 1976; Pflug, H., 'Chalkidische Helme' in: Antike Helme, RGZM Monographien 14, Mainz, 1988, pp.137-150; Chernenko, E.V., The Scythians 700-300 BC, Hong Kong, 1998.

FOOTNOTES:
Dr. Pflug distinguished five sub-categories within the Chalcidian helmet type. The fifth sub-category, corresponding to the Kunze group VII (Pflug, 1988, p.138), is characterised by the presence of detachable cheek-guards. Among the helmets of this type that remained unpublished until 1988 are fragments of a Chalcidian helmet found in Olympia, an example which had detachable cheek-guards and lobed neck protection, indicative of an advanced stage of development. These fragments, together with the remains of previously discovered Chalcidian helmets, filled a gap in the evidence regarding the evolution of the Olympia finds, demonstrating that the custom of consecrating weapons in Greece did not end with the final iteration of the Corinthian type.