Details

LOT 0178

Western Asiatic Neo-Assyrian Military Helmet

9TH-8TH CENTURY BC

15" (3.4 kg total, helmet: 38cm).

A two-piece helmet made from hammered sheet bronze with lateral seams, row of attachment holes to the lower edge, bowl with tall conical peak; mounted on a custom-made stand.

Provenance

Property of a central London gallery; previously in a private collection since the 1980s, formerly acquired on the UK art market.

Footnotes

Possibly from the reign of King Shalmaneser III, ca. 859-824 BC. The Neo-Assyrian Empire is regarded as the first known substantial military power. Their army consisted of large units of cavalry and skilled archers. Mobile workshops and smiths produced vast quantities of arrows and spears that were required while on campaign. The royal palaces of Nineveh, Ashur, and Nimrud were adorned with reliefs depicting Neo-Assyrian troops including foot soldiers in similar pointed bronze helmets.

CONDITION