A Helmet of the Archaic Period in the Krasnodar Museum – Problems of Attribution

Abstract

In 2020, an illicitly excavated bronze helmet confiscated by the FSB was brought to the Krasnodar Felitsyn State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve. The helmet was assembled from two parts and embellished with engraved geometric and zoomorphic designs. The upper section is marked with a finial crafted from a wax model in shape of the head of a bird of prey. Two other helmets of this type are currently known, both from archaeological complexes: one from the village of Kholodny Rodnik near Tuapse (discovered in 2012), the other from the megalithic burial “Krinitsa-I” (2018 excavations). An analysis of the items found with these helmets allows us to date all three helmets to the 6th century BCE. The Krasnodar helmet is the more elaborately decorated of the three, with geometric ornaments analogous to those on Colchian-Koban bronzes of this period and zoomorphic designs imitating the Scythian Animal Style. All this gives reason to suggest this series of helmets to have been produced on commission for the warrior elite of the Northwestern Caucasus in the workshops of the Central Caucasus, which traditionally produced bronze table wares. The Krasnodar helmet is probably the earliest in this group. A rudimentary rim encircles the entire calotte – a feature going back to cast helmets of the Kuban type. The Krasnodar helmet can be dated to the end of the 7th – first half of the 6th centuries BCE.