Roman Helmets(Novi Sad)

The two lavish late Roman gold-plated helmets were brought to the Museum of Vojvodina in 1955 from Berkasovo village in Srem, where a village farmer found them by accident while plowing. The helmets were made of cast iron, sheathed in silver-gilt, while it is assumed that they had a leather base. The more lavish from the two helmets is additionally decorated and studded with inset faux emerald gemstones, onyx and chalcedony semi-precious stones, made with glass paste. Inscriptions in Greek and Latin, which have many different interpretations, are of special importance.

In European areas, which were occupied by Romans in a certain period of time, only a small number of such helmets have been found until today. When it comes to ornamentation, the helmet 1 from Berkasovo and a helmet from Budapest stand out, while their similarity, as well as the way in which they were decorated, were the subject of numerous scientific discussions. Evident preciousness of design was proof that the owners of these helmets had to be members of high society, prominent commanders, people of high military ranks or even rulers.

The less lavish helmet from Berkasovo is inscribed with VICIT [LIC]INIANA, which helped archaeologists date it to the beginning of the 4th century, when the future emperor Constantine the Great and his opponent Licinius were fighting for the Roman throne. Since 308 AD, when Licinius became an Augustus, the two emperors ruled together, but they quickly started fighting for the throne, which ended in Lucinius’ defeat and execution. According to one interpretation, the helmets could have been dug during the retreat of Lucinius’ troupes towards Sirmium, i.e. after the battle that took place near Cibalae (present-day Vinkovci, Croatia). According to another interpretation, based on the later added inscription in Greek, the helmets might have been used longer and then dug during the turbulent 4th century in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda.

The third helmet with gold sheathing from the 4th century was found near Jarak village, 17 km south-east of the former Sirmium (present-day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). Parts of the helmet were found in a small grey ceramic jug. Before addressing the experts of the Museum of Vojvodina, the founder attached parts of the silver-gilt sheathing to the cardboard base, without the knowledge of their function and purpose. Preservation and reconstruction were difficult and painstaking tasks, and the less lavish helmet from Berkasovo was used as a model.

Dva raskošna pozlaćena kasnorimska šlema doneti su u Muzej Vojvodine 1955. godine iz sela Berkasovo u Sremu, u blizini Šida, gde ih je slučajno otkrila vlasnica njive tokom oranja. Šlemovi su izrađeni od kovanog gvožđa, prevučenog tankim srebrnim pozlaćenim limom, a pretpostavlja se da su imali kožnu podlogu. Raskošniji od dva šlema dodatno je ukrašen imitacijama dragog kamena smaragda, i poludragog kamenja oniksa i kalcedona, izvedenim u staklenoj pasti i postavljenim u ležišta različitog oblika. Od posebnog značaja su natpisi na grčkom i latinskom jeziku, za koje postoje brojna tumačenja.

U evropskim oblastima, koje su se nalazile u određenim periodima pod rimskom vlašću, do danas je pronađen mali broj šlemova ovog tipa. Prema ornamentici izdvajaju se upravo šlem 1 iz Berkasova i budempeštanski šlem, a njihova sličnost, kao i sam način ukrašavanja, bili su predmet brojnih naučnih rasprava. Očigledna skupocenost izrade govorila je o tome da su vlasnici ovih šlemova morali biti ličnosti iz visokog društva, istaknute vojskovođe, ljudi sa visokim položajem u vojsci ili čak vladari.

Manje raskošan šlem iz Berkasova na sebi nosi natpis VICIT [LIC]INIANA, koji je arheolozima pomogao da ga datuju na početak IV veka, u vreme kada su se oko rimskog prestola borili budući car Konstantin Veliki i njegov protivnik Licinije. Od 308. godine, kada je Licinije postao avgust, dva cara su vladala zajedno, da bi ubrzo započeli ljutu borbu za presto, koja se završila Licinijevim porazom i pogubljenjem. Prema jednom tumačenju, šlemovi su mogli biti zakopani prilikom povlačenja Licinijevih trupa prema Sirmijumu, odnosno posle bitke koja se odigrala kod Cibala (današnjih Vinkovaca). Prema drugom tumačenju, zasnovanom na postojanju kasnije dodatog natpisa na grčkom jeziku, šlemovi su mogli biti u upotrebi tokom dužeg vremena i potom biti zakopani u bilo kojem trenutku nemirnog IV veka u rimskoj rovinciji Drugoj Panoniji (Pannonia Secunda).

Treći pozlaćeni šlem iz IV veka otkriven je u okolini sela Jarak, 17 km jugoistočno od nekadašnjeg Sirmijuma (Sremske Mitrovice). Delove šlema pronalazač je otkrio u malom sivo-pečenom keramičkom krčagu. Pre nego što se obratio stručnjacima Muzeja Vojvodine, komade srebrnog pozlaćenog lima ispravljao je i lepio na kartonsku podlogu, ne poznajući njihovu funkciju i namenu. Konzervacija i rekonstrukcija predstavljale su dugotrajan i mukotrpan posao, a kao primer za rekonstrukciju poslužio je manje raskošan šlem iz Berkasova.