Bronze helmet of Corinthian type

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The most characteristic Greek helmet is that of Corinthian type. It is distinguished by the cutouts for the eyes, the narrow nose piece, and the small opening for the lips and chin. The holes around the edges are for the attachment of a lining. It began to be used about 700 B.C., and there is significant evidence to substantiate its origin in Corinth. This type of helmet evolved in shape and was executed with great artistry.

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