An Italo-Celtic Helmet

Abstract

Among the objects exhibited between December 3rd, 1954, and January 23rd, 1955, at the exhibition in the Hotel Libert at Alençon, organized by the Archaeological Society of the Orne, to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Empire, was an Italian helmet of bronze, that formed part of the Napoleonic relics of Count Le Marois. I owe it to M. Le Marois that I am able to publish this interesting object.There is a tradition that the object was found on the field of the battle of Cannae in the presence of General Bonaparte, who gave it to his aide-de-camp Le Marois. However, we know that Bonaparte never visited the celebrated field of battle. Also the catalogue of the Alençon exhibition lends no countenance to this tradition and gives the following information: ‘this helmet was found in excavations made in Italy in the presence of General Bonaparte’. An Italian origin is certain and, leaving aside the warlike provenance of Cannae, it may be accepted that the piece was found in the course of excavations, very probably in a grave. If it is not absolutely improbable that Bonaparte was present at the discovery, this is only a mere hypothesis; the helmet could quite as well have been offered to him on another occasion.