Bronze helmet of Corinthian type

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The historian Herodotos mentions the Corinthian helmet as part of the equipment of the Greek hoplite (foot soldier). As a result, the predominant type of helmet, with a rounded calotte, small openings for the eyes, and a distinct nose-piece has been identified as such. Thanks to the large number of examples excavated at Olympia, the typological variety and development are well understood. This example, said to be from Olympia, is quite early, as indicated by its unarticulated edges and the small cutout in the middle of each side.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art