Thread by @GiacomoSavani

1/3 For #FindsFriday a 3rd c. CE Roman cavalry face mask, found during the excavations of a military base near Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia, #Turkey. The mask attracted a lot of media attention recently, so let's have a look at its function🧵#romanarchaeology

2/3 Most of these iron masked helmets (2 examples from The Netherlands) were originally either silvered of bronze plated, making these objects flashy & fancy. Never intended for use in battle, they were the cavalry sports helmets, worn on parade and in displays.
📷: @carolemadge

3/3 Arrian (2nd c. CE) describes these displays, called hippika gymnasia (‘horse exercises’): ‘The horsemen enter [the parade ground] fully armed, and those of high rank or superior in horsemanship wear gilded helmets of iron or bronze to draw the attention of the spectators'