The exhibit of the month at the National Museum of Romanian History is the Ciumesti Helmet, presented in a micro-exhibition open to the public in the Lapidarium Hall, the museum announced on Wednesday in a press release sent to AGERPRES.
The iron artefact is decorated with a bird of prey with outstretched wings, crafted from bronze sheet, with eyes inlaid with white enamel and red coral. The bird's wings were attached with hinges, allowing them to move as the wearer walked, creating the impression of flight.
The helmet was discovered in the grave of a Celtic military chieftain, alongside other weapons. The micro-exhibition also features three artefacts attributed to a Getic chieftain discovered at Popesti, in the Romanian Plain: a shield umbo, a fragment of chain mail and a ritual-bent sword.
The Ciumesti grave was discovered by chance in the summer of 1961 during the levelling of a sand dune. It is part of a larger necropolis comprising 32 graves (seven inhumation and 25 cremation burials). The partially recovered funerary inventory included weapons - an iron helmet, an iron chain mail shirt, two bronze chain mail fittings, two bronze greaves and a spearhead - as well as clothing accessories and two ceramic vessels (a biconical pot and a bowl).
The iron helmet is the most striking piece. Its dome, shaped by hot hammering, originally had two movable cheek guards attached with hinges and a fixed neck guard. The protrusions decorating the temple area and cheek guards also served to enhance protection of vulnerable areas such as the temples and cheeks.
Identifying the bird depicted on the helmet remains difficult, but specialists believe it may represent a raven, one of the sacred animals in Celtic mythology.
Depictions of Celtic helmets adorned with birds of prey or other animals appear on the Gundestrup Cauldron, discovered in Denmark. However, no actual artefacts of this kind have been found during archaeological research, with the exception of the Ciumesti helmet, making it unique. Beyond its defensive function, the helmet is also considered a symbol of the authority of a Celtic military leader.
Research on the items found in the chieftain's grave has helped reconstruct aspects of both his life and the burial ritual.
The micro-exhibition can be visited throughout May, from Wednesday to Sunday, between 10:00 and 18:00.
Comentează