The exhibition of the State Museum-Reserve “Kulikovo Field”, in the hall “Rus and Horde: 14th Century Warfare”, presents an iron helmet, an element of armor from the 14th century. The helmet is sphero-conical in shape and is made up of four forged triangular sections that are riveted together. It was assembled by placing the front and back sections on top of the side sections. The item is fairly well preserved.
This helmet was designed to protect the head of a warrior during battle.
During the era of the Battle of Kulikovo, protective weapons were an essential part of a professional warrior’s equipment. At the same time, helmets were considered mandatory elements of armor. Earlier, some warriors, including archers, did not use helmets or used lighter ones made of organic materials (leather, wood, or a combination of both). The reason was that iron headgear was quite expensive and not all warriors could afford it. However, in the second half of the 14th century, the role of helmets increased significantly.
