What is the purpose of a plume on a helmet?

Throughout history plumes have served a number of purposes in military culture. Worn on helmets that all but obscured a soldier’s face, they indicated his allegiance. Some plumes distinguished military commanders, and some were used as regalia for special military units.

What is the purpose of plumes?

A plume is a special type of bird feather, possessed by egrets, ostriches, birds of paradise, quetzals, pheasants, peacocks and quails. They often have a decorative or ornamental purpose, commonly used among marching bands and the military, worn on the hat or helmet of the wearer.

What is the thing on top of Spartan helmets?

The decoration on the galea (Roman helmet) is a crest. The “fur” itself (generally horse hair) is called a plume.

What were spartan helmet plumes made of?

The actual crest itself was made of horsehair; in natural colors, dyed, bi-colored or multicolored. As one finds with the Greeks, there seemed to be no universal standard applied in coloration or size of the crests. Examination of the representations of the crests seems to indicate a near universal range in their size.

What’s a Spartan helmet called?

The real name of what we call “Spartan helmet” is actually “Corinthian helmet“: it is born in the famous Corinth, a prosperous and fearsome city. In ancient times, in fact, there were many types of helmet, but this soon became the most widespread for its total protection of the head.

What is the difference between feathers and plumes?

As nouns the difference between feather and plume is that feather is a branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display while plume is a feather of a bird, especially a large or showy one.

What is a plume signified in a Spartan helmet?

What A Plume Signified in a Spartan Helmet The reason behind the use of plumed helmets is that it made spartan soldiers appear much more imposing in battle. The helmet design would be based on the requirement of the type of soldier.

Why did the Romans use plumed helmets?

The reason behind the use of plumed helmets is that it made spartan soldiers appear much more imposing in battle. The helmet design would be based on the requirement of the type of soldier. There were a couple of basic kinds of helmets created for Spartan soldiers – one with plumes and another with no plume. Also, what was a Roman helmet used for?

What kind of helmets did Spartan soldiers wear?

There were a couple of basic kinds of helmets created for Spartan soldiers – one with plumes and another with no plume. The Spartan helmets without plumes were designed specially for foot soldiers and were made of iron and steel, and the design of this type of helmet was very simple and was made in silver colour.

What is a Corinthian helm with plume?

With its distinctive shape, the Italo Brass Corinthian Helm with Plume is one of the most identifiable helmets of history. The iconic helm of the Spartan warrior, this helmet was favored by many Greeks because of its protective design.