Corinthian officer’s helmet with a griffin on the crest.

Corinthian officer’s helmet with a griffin* on the crest. Its sides are decorated with geometric spiral designs.

The helmets in Ancient Greece, were made  of wood and metal. They first appeared in the 8th century BC and gradually evolved until the middle of the 5th century BC.Their top was decorated with a crest from horse tail. Constructing this type of Corinthian helmet was quite expensive for ancient Greek hoplites (warriors), therefore the detail of decoration reflected their social and financial level.

The art of making it, was similar to the art of making metal utensils and thus required great skill. The Corinthian helmet is characteristic because it covered the entire head and neck with slots for the eyes and mouth, while it also had a paragnathus. The Ancient Greeks often decorated the helmets with the meander symbol as it symbolized -among other things- victory.

• Material:  Bronze, Marble
• Width:  14 centimeters
• Height: 35 centimeters
• length: 18 centimeters

*The griffin was thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.