Complete helmet from First Punic War found

"The bronze helmet is complete and undamaged with both cheekpieces, an extremely rare survival. It is one of the most complete ever recovered. Montefortino type helmets were semicircular at the base, then spin-formed and chased to conical shape. They were topped with a mushroom-shaped terminal knob. The rim flared slightly at the front and sides with a small neck guard projecting from the back. The cheek guards were tied together under the chin with a leather strap."

"The Battle of the Egadi Islands was fought between the navies of Rome and Carthage on March 10th, 241 B.C. The Roman fleet, commanded by Gaius Lutatius Catulus, had 200 ships. The Carthaginians fleet, commanded by Annon, had 100, many of them Roman ships that had been captured in previous clashes. Rome won this one. It was the decisive naval battle of the First Punic War, and Rome's victory ensured its long-term domination of the Mediterranean."

A mid-3rd century B.C. bronze Montefortino helmet in exceptional condition was recovered from the waters of the Egadi Islands off western Sicily. The helmet is complete and undamaged with both cheekpieces intact, a very rare survival. Montefortino helmets feature a semicircular base, spin-formed conical shape, mushroom-shaped terminal knob, slightly flared rim, small neck guard, and cheek guards tied under the chin with a leather strap. The Battle of the Egadi Islands on March 10, 241 B.C. was a decisive Roman naval victory in the First Punic War. Sicilian maritime archaeologists have recovered armor, weapons, numerous helmets, and many rostra, including an inscribed rostrum naming Servius Sulpicius.

Read at www.thehistoryblog.com