Two Byzantine Helmets Reconstructed

A Byzantine Helmet Reconstructed

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. It is not suitable for novices.

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

During correspondence on the subject in the early 1990’s, Tim Dawson suggested a likely explanation of how they were made, and this article describes how I constructed my own.

 

Fig. 2  Tim’s original drawing giving a theoretical construction of the helmet.

 

Materials and equipment needed:

 

·        3mm (14 ga) steel strip, approx 80cm (31.5”) long and 20mm (3/4”) wide. This will be your browband.

·        1.6mm (16 ga) steel sheet, approx. 60 cm (2 ft) square.

·        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 50)

·        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 50). Alternatively, if you want to use larger rivets on the browband, make about 12 of these rivets 5mm (3/16”) diameter.

 

·        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 pieces needed to make this helmet. I have included a scale so that you can get it correct. I made mine to fit myself – head circumference at eyebrow level 58cm (22.8”). 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 full scale, then adjust the copy size to suit your own head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 2  The plates needed to make the helmet

 

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 in vinegar with a bit of salt added. I haven’t tried it for myself. See here for details of the technique.

 

Making the frame

Start with the centre band. It needs to be slightly “dished” so it can curve in three dimensions.  Viewed end-on, it should form a very slightly curved arch. For dishing technique, click here . Then carefully bend it to match the shape shown on the helmet below (worn by far left hand figure in fig. 1). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 3   The profile for the centre band.

 

Browband

 

Now something I probably should have done but didn't, and which should make helmet construction considerably easier; form the browband into an oval to the shape of your head (allowing extra for padding) and bolt it to the centre band, so you form a frame within which all the other plates can be placed.

The browband is made by curving a piece of 3mm (1/8”) thick steel strip by hitting along one side, as in fig. 7. The side that you are hitting will squash flatter, and spread outwards. Since the other side doesn’t change its length, the only thing the strip can do is curve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 7 – curving the browband.

 

Once it is the shape shown on the pattern, curve it into an oval to fit the opening at the bottom of the helmet. Get it exactly right, clamping it into position to make sure it fits well.

 

When you’re happy, sand and polish it smooth, and attach it. The first hole goes dead centre at the front of the browband, and the front of the centre band. The browband goes outside the centre band. At the back, cut it to length so the ends of the browband meet flush. There’s a bit of skill in this. Best to cut it a little over long to start off with, and gradually file it down till it fits exactly. Bolt it to the back of the centre band, with one bolt on each end of the browband. It will be able to swivel a bit if you do this, so it's best to clamp it in place till you have another of the plates to hold it all firm.

Dishing the plates

Dish one of the top plates to fit the profile of the centre band. If you do this correctly, it will curve just right to allow for the middle plate to fit under it. Note that although this requires less dishing than for the plates of a four-plate spangenhelm, it is more exacting. Make sure to put enough curve in the plate for your head to fit comfortably inside.

 

Smoothing the plate

Once the plate 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 within the frame, with no inequalities, gaps or bumps.

 

Shining the plate

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

 

It’s also possible to get the surface blackness off with a fine sanding wheel or disc. Once this is done, you 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.

 

Fig. 4 shows the shape the top plate and middle plate should end up. Use a small piece of smooth metal sheet between the jaw and the helmet plate. This is to stop the grip on the jaw from marking the plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 4  The top and centre plates dished and clamped together.

 

Do the same with the bottom plate. Make sure you take the trouble to get all the plates to fit correctly without any gaps, dishing if you need to, or they will become permanent when you rivet it together, and it will end up looking bad. Worse still, if the pieces don’t fit together well, rivetting together will put the helmet out of shape.

 

Re-adjust the shapes of the plates until they fit smoothly within the frame. You will have a chance later on to get this exactly right. Though it’s not possible to check this completely, you should also be checking the shape of the partly completed helmet against your head, to see if it’s going to fit. If not, work out why and fix it.

 

Note: there can be a problem with the arc pieces curving too far inward at the top inside the helmet, forming “ridges” which can rub against your head. Make sure the curve at the join is smooth at all points, including here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 5  The plates of one side bolted and clamped together.

 

 

Bolting together

When you’re completely happy with the shape of this side of the helmet, and that there are no gaps, drill holes as shown and bolt the plates together. Note that you should space the holes at equal distances – about 75mm (3”) apart - it looks better.  The heads of the bolts should be inside the helmet, so you can put the helmet on to test the fit. Do the bolts up loosely to start off with, and gradually tighten each one till you’re happy with the shape. You can affect the form of the helmet quite a bit by tightening the bolts unequally. This is a temporary move. You will be replacing the bolts with rivets at a later stage.

 

 

Repeat the whole exercise for the other side, making sure that the helmet is perfectly symmetrical (i.e. the curve is equal on both sides).

 

Bolt the helmet together loosely, then tighten up the bolts to an equal amount, keeping an eye on the shape of the helmet.  It should look like this. (Note that this photo does not show the browband - I didn't add it till last. The photo is a record of how I did it, not how I'd advise you to do it.)

 

 

Fig. 6 The helmet assembled but not yet rivetted.

 

Now, check that opening for your head. If it isn’t symmetrical, adjust it (if it’s not too far wrong, bashing it with a hammer is probably enough – you’ll probably wreck some of the bolts, but they’re cheap). Check that it actually fits your head. If not, figure out why not, and fix it. Maybe you need to get out the big hammer again.

 

 

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 the helmet in shape. 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.

For information on traditional rivetting click 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. The helmet really should have a knob on top, as well.

 

Voila!

 

Rationale

I believe this construction method was used for two reasons; strength and ease of construction.  The overlap in the metal at the joins between bands would form reinforcing “ridges”. This might also enable the helmet to be made of thinner metal, to produce a lighter helmet, but still with considerable strength.

 

As far as I’m aware, iron was usually available in hammered bars or billets. The bands themselves could have been fairly easily made by flattening iron billets or bars in a forge, and could actually have been fairly easily shaped into curves this way. Forming the billets into sheet, to make the plates for a conventional four-plate spangenhelm would have perhaps required greater skill, given the form the iron came in.