Spangen helmet

The early helmets derived from their Roman predecessors, the 'spangen' helmet, popular during the 7th - 11th centuries, consisted of a several small plates of iron or latten bound together with various patterns of banding, all held together with many rivets . A few surviving examples in the Metropolitan Museum of Art show evidence of gold gilding or wash, and there are written references to the helmets of local chieftains being adorned with precious metals and stones. Most spangen helmets were doubtless manufactured locally, since large sheets of *iron plate were hard to come by until the middle of the 14th century.