CUMBRIA COUNTY COUNCIL PLEDGES CASH TO HELP BUY ROMAN HELMET

By Thom Kennedy

Last updated at 12:51, Wednesday, 06 October 2010

Cumbria County Council has pledged £5,000 to help keep a historic Roman artefact in Cumbria.

Tullie House's Rebecca Warren with the helmet appeal

Related: Crosby Garrett Roman helmet 'worth millions to Cumbria' - claim

Tullie House Museum is hoping to raise £80,000 in donations to buy the Roman cavalry parade helmet found by a metal detectorist at Crosby Garrett earlier this year.

And now the council’s Carlisle local committee has agreed to put £5,000 to add to the appeal, which has already benefited from a £50,000 donation from a private benefactor.

Cllr John Mallinson, chair of the Carlisle Local Committee, said: “The importance of this helmet cannot be over estimated both in its historical significance and the potential financial benefits it would bring to the area in terms of increased tourism.

“We are very happy to support the campaign to ensure this extraordinary piece of history remains in Cumbria.”

The helmet, which is valued between £300,000 and £400,000, will be auctioned by Christie’s in London tomorrow, with an anonymous bidder taking part on behalf of Tullie House. A live audience will be watching on an internet feed in the Carlisle museum in anticipation of a major coup for the city.

Among the audience will be Carlisle MP John Stevenson, who said: “I’m really hoping Tullie House are able to secure the helmet for the people of Cumbria. I think the helmet belongs here and Tullie House have run a great campaign in trying to raise the funds to keep it so.

“Culturally, the helmet is significant as it is a link to our Roman past, but it will also bring visitors to the area and make a fantastic centrepiece to Tullie House’s Roman exhibition.

“Local support for the campaign has been fantastic, and I wish Tullie House every success on the day.”

The auction has generated huge interest from private collectors because the Roman cavalry parade helmet, found by a metal detector enthusiast in a field near Crosby Garrett, is one of just three found in the UK and is the finest example of its type.

The British Museum in London describes it as “unparalleled” and says it is vital that Tullie House secures it.

Early indications suggest the helmet would attract thousands of new visitors to Carlisle and Cumbria to boost the tourism economy. and would represent a significant acquisition to the Roman archaeology collection at Tullie House.

It would form a focal point for a new £1.5 million Roman Frontier Gallery opening in Tullie House next year.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/Tullie-House-Crosby-Garrett-Roman-Helmet-Appeal.

First published at 11:34, Wednesday, 06 October 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

Lecture: Reconstructing and Testing Ancient Greek Linen Armor

SPECIAL BONUS LECTURE
Friday, October 22, 2010
4:30pm
Chapman Auditorium, Trinity University
Classical Kevlar:
Reconstructing and Testing Ancient Greek Linen Armor
(THE UWGB Linothrax Project)


For nearly 1,000 years, one of the most common forms of protection used by ancient Mediterranean warriors, including the armies of the Greeks and Alexander the Great, was the linothorax, a type of body armor apparently made out of linen. Due to the perishable nature of its material, however, no examples have survived, and today it is poorly understood, and is known only through fragmentary descriptions in literature and images on pottery and in sculpture. Employing only the materials and techniques that would have been available to the ancient Greeks, the UWGB Linothorax Project is investigating this mysterious armor by reconstructing and wearing examples of the linothorax, as well as subjecting test samples to attack with ancient weapons in order to determine the characteristics and protective qualities of this type of armor. This presentation will not only describe the project’s findings, but will also display a reconstructed linothorax and test samples for the audience’s examination.
Project website: http://www.uwgb.edu/aldreteg/Linothorax.html
More about the speaker: http://www.uwgb.edu/aldreteg/

Starting Materials

Okay, here I will just begin to describe the I am gathering to begin our armor fabrication. Pictures will be accomplished this week-end.

The aspis (shield) will be formed by making a master shape from housing insulation then shaping chicken wire over the master to create the shield itself. The chicken wire will be covered on both sides by paper mache which may then be covered by paperclay, if deemed necessary. Then regular acrylic paints will suffice for decoration.

This first image is the three layers of insulation glued together.



The insulation with the shield shape superimposed.



Insulation cut to shape the form.


Chicken wire base molded to the form.


The chicken wire base removed from the form, displaying the characteristic aspis bowl shape.


And, finally, the base with paper mache exterior.




The dory (spear) should be much easier, in comparison. I am starting with a 10-foot length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, reducing it to eight feet, and fashioning the spearhead itself from leftover insulation foam, shaped and inserted into each end. The ends will be tapered by removing diagonal slices then compressing them down to grip the spearhead and present a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The plain pipe and marked to remove wedges for tapering.




The pipe with tapering wedges removed and in tapered status.




And the insulation spearhead, already shaped, with the tang inserted into the pipe and everything will be secured with glue and bonding tape.





More to come as the prototyping begins!

Statement of Intent

As part of the rebirth of the UTSA Classics Club, an idea was bandied about to stage a public demonstration of hoplite style warfare. Sounds great, but obtaining at least a semi-authentic panoply--aspis, dory, cuirass, greaves, helmet--is not cheap and we are college students, after all.

The goal is to document the creation of the equipment using paper mache, modeling clay, and chickenwire. The results may not be super cool but should convey the proper impression of a fully-armed hoplite ready for battle. Also, by selecting readily available materials and easy-to-duplicate processes, we can create a wide variety of gear and everyone can paint their own shield.

Safety note: None of the weapons are functional. They are intended for visual appeal only and should be very safe as designed.

More to come as work progresses!