Two Byzantine Helmets Reconstructed

A Simple Byzantine Helmet

Based on the Skylitzes Chronicle of Madrid

 

Steven Lowe

 

Note: A version of this article appeared in Varangian Voice Issue 32, of August 1994. It has been considerably revised in light of further research and reconstruction.

 

For some time I have been interested in the helmets shown in the Madrid version of the Skylitzes Chronicle, including those of the type shown in fig. 1. 

 

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Fig. 1 From the copy of the Chronicle of John Skylitzes in the Bibliot’eca Naçional, Madrid (second half of the 12th century C.E.)

 

The helmet is made in one piece or three pieces (a centre band and two “half-shells”), has a peak at the front, and extends downwards to protect the back of the skull.  This can easily be made using a commercially available “spun dome” helmet shell. This page describes how to make the “centre-band” version. It is a bit harder. If you want to make simple “one-piece” helmet instead, click here .

 

 

·        A “spun-dome” helmet shell.

·        1.6m (16 ga) steel sheet, approx 72cm (2’5”) long and 15cm (6”) wide. You cut your browband from this.

·        1.6mm (16 ga) steel sheet, approx. 75 x 6 cm (20” x 2.5”) for the centre band.

·        1.6mm (16 ga) steel sheet, approx. 45 x 7.5 cm (17” x 3”) for the rear infill plate.

·        Electric drill

·        3mm (1/8”) drill bits (several – you might break or blunt a few)

·        3mm x 12mm (1/8” x ½”) bolts with nuts (about 30)

·        Hacksaw, angle grinder with cutting wheel or jigsaw with hacksaw blade.

·        3mm (1/8”) diameter domed head rivets, or clout nails to cut down and use as rivets (about 30).

 

·        A wooden stump or log, with a shallow hollow dished in one end.

·        A heavy hammer with a slightly curved face (panelbeater’s hammer is ideal)

·        A ball pene hammer

·        An anvil or piece of railway line

 

Note: All holes are 3mm (1/8”) unless otherwise stated.

 

Fig. 2 shows the pattern for the browband. I have included a scale so that you can get it correct. The centre band is 48 x 6.5cm (19" x 2.5") I made mine to fit myself – head circumference at eyebrow level 58cm (22.8”). The spun dome I used had a circumference of about 72 cm (28") at the bottom, and was about 21 cm (8.5") from the rim to the top, measured along the curve. I found it fitted me quite well, if adequately padded. You might have to adjust the size a bit to fit yourself. Once you have printed it off, photocopy it up to a size where the scale is full size, then adjust the copy size to suit your own head size.

Fig. 2. The pattern for the browband. The scales are in inches and centimetres. Sorry about them being on an angle

 

 

Use 1.6mm thick (16ga) mild steel throughout, preferably cold-rolled (bright) steel, so you don’t have to remove a black layer before you can have a bright shiny helmet (as all Byzantine helmets seem to be). I have been told that black steel can be made shiny by soaking overnight in vinegar with a bit of salt added. I haven’t tried it for myself. To find out how to do it, click here .

 

Making the helmet

The first thing you need to do is get the spun dome the right shape. Because of the way they’re made, these things are always perfectly round. But your head is an oval. The best way I’ve found to change the shape is to sit on it – heavily. There are other ways, so long as you end up with it being an equal distance from your head at all points around the rim.

 

 

Fig. 3. An exploded view of the helmet.

 

 

Cut the browband using the pattern shown in fig. 2. The join will be at the back. Bend it into an oval, matching the shape of the helmet rim. Note that you’re going to be adding an extension at the back of the helmet to cover the back of the skull. The browband follows the final shape of the helmet, not the rim of the spun dome, so there’ll be a gap at the back, between the bottom of the helmet and the browband.  “Dish” a peak into the front of the helmet, and a matching one in the centre of the browband. For how to dish metal, click here .

 

 

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Fig. 4. The browband, with dished peak on the left. It is not very pronounced. For a better photo, see the completed helmet at the end of this article.

 

 

 

The centre band needs to be “dished” so it can curve in three dimensions.  Viewed end-on, it should form a curved arch. Then form it to go over the top of the helmet, following the centre line, including the “peak” at the front.

 

Drill holes in the browband, starting at the centre about 10mm (3/”8) above the bottom, and about 7.5-10 cm (3-4”) apart.

 

Drill holes in the centre band, about 5mm in from each side, about 7.5-10cm (3-4”) apart.

 

NOTE: Make sure your holes are equally spaced, about 7.5cm (3”) apart. It makes the helmet look better.

 

Smoothing the centre band

Once the centre band is shaped, it’s time to get the surface nice and smooth. Find all the little humps and bumps and gently knock them out with your curved-faced hammer. It takes a bit of patience, but it’s worth it.  Smoothing the surface will have changed the shape of the plate somewhat, so now go back to gently shaping until it fits exactly, with no inequalities or bumps.

 

Shining the browband

Next, if you haven’t done so already, shine the browband and centre band. If you’ve started with bright steel or soaked you black steel in vinegar, this should be a fairly easy process. Use a buffing wheel, and then metal polish.

 

It’s possible to get the surface blackness off with a fine sanding wheel or disc. Once this is done, use progressively finer grades of sandpaper/disc until it is beautifully smooth and shiny. This technique can help you find and fix all the little inequalities you missed on the previous step, but there’s a lot more work doing it this way, and it makes the metal more likely to rust. Avoid it if you can.

 

Clamping

As much as possible in the early stages, clamp the pieces together instead of bolting them. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to drill bolt holes to join the plates. If you have to re-adjust, you’ll have to re-drill the holes, and you may end up with unsightly, out-of-place holes that then need to be filled by welding or blind rivets. Use a small piece of smooth metal between the jaw of your clamp and the helmet piece. This is to stop the grip on the jaw from gouging into the metal.

 

Sandwich the centre band between the helmet and the browband at the front, making sure all three line up exactly. Drill through the centre hole in the browband, through centre panel and helmet peak, and bolt them loosely together.

 

Clamp the centre of the browband to the helmet peak, making sure they line up exactly. Drill through the centre hole of the browband, through the helmet peak, and bolt loosely together.

 

Assembly

One by one, clamping as you go, and making sure there are no gaps, move back from the front on both sides, drilling through the holes in the browband and bolting through each hole as you make it to join the browband to the helmet, until the shape of the browband makes it part company with the helmet rim.

 

 

 

Make sure you take the trouble to get these to fit correctly without any gaps, or the gaps will become permanent when you rivet it together, and it will end up looking bad.

 

The browband should be a little too long, and the ends should overlap at the back for the moment. You will trim it later.

 

The rear extension

Make a cardboard template for the extension at the back, to fill the space between the bottom of the dome and the bottom of the browband. Using the template as your guide, make a panel from 1.6mm steel.  Curve the panel to fit the helmet (no dishing needed) and check that everything fits together smoothly.  Mark the position of the rear panel precisely against the helmet. Remove the browband and centre band, and get someone with a “mig” or “tig” welder (service (gas) stations are usually helpful) to weld the extension onto the spun dome.

 

Get a disk or belt sander and remove not only all the messy bits left by the welding (and check for faults in the welding – get them fixed if necessary), but also all those unsightly grooves on the spun dome (YUK!). Then use progressively finer grades of sandpaper/disc until it is beautifully smooth and shiny.

 

Re-assembly

Put the browband and centre band back in place and now drill and bolt the centre band as you did with the browband, exactly following the centre line of the helmet, and making sure not to leave any gaps.

 

Once the helmet is assembled, it’s time to trim the browband so it joins precisely at the back. Drill two holes in each end, 10mm from the top and bottom of the browband, and through the helmet. Bolt together.

 

Fitting the aventail and straps

At this point you need to decide how you will attach the straps that hold the helmet on, and your aventail (the protective “curtain” that covers the back of the neck – it can be of padding, lamellar, scale or mail). It’s better if the rivets that attach these are hidden under the browband, or if you use the browband rivets to also support the aventail and straps. So plan how you’re going to do it now, and get the bits ready and in place. If you’re going to use a leather suspension system in the helmet instead of padding, this should also be arranged now.

 

Rivetting

Now, take out the bolts one by one. As you take out each bolt, replace it with a rivet. This keeps everything in place. If you take all the bolts out and then put in all the rivets, it’s likely to go out of shape, and the holes won’t line up. Believe me, this is the best way to go, from long and painful experience. Make sure your aventail, straps and suspension system (if you’re using one) are rivetted in place now. You can improve the look of the helmet if you drill larger holes in the browband and use 5mm (1/4”) domed rivets. To find out how to rivet, click here. Another site with further information on rivetting can be found here .

 

Finishing touches

Now your helmet is all but complete. Pad it with 12mm (1/2”) of felt or some similar substance. Alternatively you can put in a leather suspension system, or use a padded arming cap. Put a brass knob on top – hardware stores often have small brass knobs for drawer handles - and you need to put straps to hold it on your head, plus an aventail of padding, lamellar, scale or mail.

 

Voila!

NOTE: You've probably spotted the fact that this is the SIMPLE spun-dome helm, not the one described in this page. I haven't actually made one like this, though I have made a similar one with an identical centre band. So you'll have to take me on trust, to a certain degree.