Hilary & John TravisRoman Helmets

First of all, my credentials: I have a Master's Degree in History, have studied ancient Rome for decades, and have read hundreds of primary and secondary sources.The authors have written a three-part series on ancient Roman armor; this book in the series covers helmets (the others cover body armor and shields). The book traces the evolution of helmets and clearly shows that the entire Mediterranean (and possibly beyond) must be considered when investigating the development of helmets.The Romans were not only renowned for being innovative, but also for taking the best ideas from other cultures, improving on them, and incorporating them into their own culture, e.g., the "gladius hispaniensis." Thus, helmet design was not static and changed throughout the life of ancient Rome.Hilary and John Travis trace this development, the materials used, the types of helmets worn by different units, how they were produced over time, and how various time periods determined not only the type of helmet, but also how they were produced and their quality. Their work is thorough, but not too technical for the casual historian.They also provide a great deal of information in three appendices: The Origins and Development of the Roman Army, Equipment and "Fabricae," and Metal.My only complaint with the book is the editing. There are some obvious errors:*Page 24 - the eruption of Vesuvius is given as 69 AD. It occurred in 79 AD.*Page 154 - when discussing the division of land by the Second Triumvirate, the authors state that Lepidus was given the East. Lepidus was initially given "Hispania" and "Nabonensis," and this was later reduced to only North Africa and Numidia. He was never given the East.*Color plates shoes - Legionaries were well known for their hobnailed "caligae," i.e., open-work sandals. Only one of the plates show a soldier with open-work shoes/sandals, a 4th century B.C.E. Samnite warrior. The legionaries and auxiliaries are shown with closed shoes or low, closed boots. This was not standard legionary footwear during the Republic and well into the Empire. In fact, some ancient writers refer to legionaries as "caligati." It would have been valuable to show a common legionary with "caligae," since this would have been a familiar sight throughout the provinces.*Color plates shield - Plate 2 states that the shield is rectangular. The shield appears to be a long oval.Even so, there is a much valuable information here about helmets, and I highly recommend the book for this subject.

"Roman Helmets" is one of three excellent books by these authors on the design, evolution, and production of Roman armor. In "Roman Helmets" the authors provide a detailed evolution of the helmets and how the helmets were manufactured. Manufacturing helmets, and other weapons and armor, was no small feat when one considers the number and distribution of soldiers. The information in this book provides insight into how the armor was manufactured and then sent to the frontiers and internal forces. In addition, this book explains how the armor evolved to meet new battle tactics as well as being more easily manufactured during later periods. The illustrations are excellent and the pictures quite fun. This is an enjoyable book for the amateur historian and an important addition to a professional library.

Good schollary reference work on the subject.

great book for readers of roman history

A christmas present for my son which has been received by him with relish.

as you reviewed a good technical review of Roman helmets

A little hard but an authoritative work

Great read with some great pictures and reference

Very detailed.