This astonishing armoured helmet was made by – or for – the Scythians, a semi-nomadic Central Asian group who originated in Iran but roamed across much of the Ukraine, Russia and the Pontic Steppe from about 1000 BC through the period of classical antiquity. They are known historically from Greek records, and archaeologically on the basis of their extravagantly ornate metalwork in burial mounds from above Greece all the way to Central Asia. They appear in the historical sources of other peoples – including the Assyrians, who they tried to invade in 770 BC, and the Persians, who tried to return the favour in 512 BC – but have left no written evidence of their own. Socially they are hard to assess, given the fairly mobile nature of their way of life, although there is epigraphic and graphic evidence of their appearance and some of their customs. Inevitably, their funeral behaviour is well understood, while much of their technology seems in fact to have been acquired or commissioned from settled communities. Their main period of prosperity was in the second half of the first millennium BC, fading away in the face of competition from the Sarmantians and the Celts, then attacks by the Goths, at the turn of the millennium.

Herodotus mentions a “Royal Dahae” which was the ruling elite of the Scythian forces, and which might well have existed if the riches of the burial mounds are any indication. Local governance was carried out by elites with control over local armies, who were sometimes hired out as mercenaries – especially archers – to more sedentary groups. They were by all accounts a martial and fierce people, much associated with noble barbarism, where women fought alongside men (seemingly with similar status) and both sexes were regularly tattooed with zoomorphic designs that also appear in their artwork. As a mobile way of life was not conducive to metalworking or other craft/art pursuits, most Scythian masterworks – of which there are an inordinate number – were designed by the Scythians but actually made by the Greeks. These include jewellery, horse harnesses and weapons, and include a large proportion of works in gold, which they highly valued and viewed as a status symbol. It is from the imagery on these items that the Scythians gain their glamorous if sanguineous reputation, although later works demonstrate that they had started to adopt Greek clothing and customs. Zoomorphic and anthropomorphic imagery abounds, combined with more mundane themes (milking cattle) and some geometric motifs.

This piece demonstrates these themes admirably. Comprising a tall dome of polished bronze, it is extremely large and would have fitted over a large mass of hair even if it had been lined with cloth (as was the tradition). The frontal aspect has a high reverse-peaked arch, which is emulated in slightly smaller form – perhaps for allowing the hair to flow down the back – in the rear. The entire perimeter of the piece has an elevated lip that served to decorate, yet thicken and thus reinforce the rim. Each side of the helmet possesses a pair of lugs that would have been threaded with leather thongs and fibre strapping to attach the helmet to the tunic or under the chin, as appropriate. The very apex of the piece is surmounted by the hollow-cast figure of an equid – either a horse or, judging from the stocky proportions of the body and head, a mule. All four feet are firmly attached to the helmet, as is the tail. The animal faces frontally, and is well detailed yet also conceived in a naïf form. The condition of the piece is excellent, with a light patina and mild sedimentary adhesion. The notable cross-cultural complexity of this piece makes it a highly desirable acquisition for any collector interested in the dynamics of ancient world sociopolitics, as well as the warfare and glamour that the name of the Scythians still conveys today.