European Bronze age and Iron age helmets with horns are known from a few depictions, and even fewer actual finds. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat A horn is a pointed projection of the Skin on the head of various Mammals consisting of a covering of horn ( Keratin and other Proteins They were probably used for religious ceremonial or ritual purposes. A ceremony is an activity infused with Ritual significance performed on a special occasion A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions
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Early archaeological finds
An early find dating to ca. 800 BC, is a figurine of a man with a horned helmet, found in Zealand, Denmark. Zealand (also Sealand Danish: Sjælland;) is the largest Island (7031 km² of Denmark (excluding Greenland The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe A pair of bronze horned helmets from the younger Bronze Age (dating to ca. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for 900-1100 BC) were found near Viksø, Denmark in 1942. Veksø is a small town located between Ballerup and Stenløse in Egedal municipality near Copenhagen on the island of Zealand (Sjælland The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe See illustration [1] .
A pre-Roman Celtic bronze helmet, dating to ca. 100 BC, was found in the River Thames, in England. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Its 'horns', different from those of the earlier finds, are straight and conical. Late Gaulish helmets (ca. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became 55 BC) with small horns and adorned with wheels, reminiscent of the combination of a horned helmet and a wheel on plate C of the Gundestrup cauldron (ca. The Gundestrup cauldron is a richly-decorated silver vessel thought to date from the La Tène Period in the first century to second century BC 100 BC), were found in Orange, France. Orange ( Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm norm is a town and commune in the
Migration Period
A depiction on a Migration Period (5th century) metal die from Öland, Sweden, shows a warrior with a helmet adorned with two snakes or dragons, arranged similar to horns. The Migration Period, also called Barbarian Invasions, or sometimes Völkerwanderung ( German for "wandering of peoples" is the English name is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional Provinces of Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. A decorative plate of the Sutton Hoo helmet (ca. Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, is the site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries 600 AD) showed a depiction of a similar helmet. This headgear, of which only depictions have survived, seems to have fallen out of use with the end of the Migration period. There is a single depiction on a Viking Age amulet found in Uppland, Sweden that shows a figure with two snakes or dragons on its head. Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. Uppland ( is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital
Horned helmets have also revealed presence in Asia, where soldiers of ancient kingdoms such as Goguryeo are noted to have worn helmets with large horns on top. Goguryeo or Koguryo was an ancient Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean peninsula, southern Manchuria, and
Middle Ages
During the High Middle Ages, fantastical headgear became popular among knights, in particular for tournaments (see, for example, the depiction of Wolfram von Eschenbach and others in the Codex Manesse). The High Middle Ages was the period of European history in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries (AD 1000&ndash1299 The Codex Manesse, Manesse Codex, or Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift is an Illuminated manuscript in Codex Some coats of arms, for example that of Lazar Hrebeljanovic depict them. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Stefan Lazar (Стефан Лазар Tzar Lazar Hrebeljanović ( Serbian Cyrillic: Кнез Лазар Хребељановић or Knez Lazar It is sometimes argued that Iron Age helmets would not have been worn in battle due to the impediment to their wearer. However, impractical adornments have been worn on battlefields throughout history.
Viking Age misconception
Although horned helmets are in popular culture often associated with Vikings, there is no evidence that Viking Age Scandinavians have ever worn them. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The attribution probably arose in 19th century Swedish Romanticism. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the The image was so widespread by the mid-20th century that the helmet logo of the Minnesota Vikings football team is a horn on each side of the helmet. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based out of Minneapolis Minnesota.
There is one other instance of a possible depiction of a Viking Age horned helmet, an illustration on a tapestry found in the Viking Age Oseberg ship burial. The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large Burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold
Overall, there have been so few discoveries of horned helmets that it appears unlikely that Vikings really wore horned helmets to battle. The depictions of warriors could represent ritual war dances as well as actual combat. The most likely explanation is that this helmet type originated in Celtic religion, possibly related to Cernunnos, and that then it was adopted, changing the horns into snakes, by Germanic tribes during the Migration age, and continued to play a certain role in religious ritual up to the 9th century or so. Cernunnos is a Celtic god whose representations were widespread in the ancient Celtic world
Gallery
 A 14th century seal of Albert of Sweden. Albert of Sweden (or Albrecht von Mecklenburg in German or Albrekt av Mecklenburg in Swedish (c |  A 14th century seal of Albert of Sweden. |
See also
External links
- Did Vikings really wear horns on their helmets?
- British Museum Iron Age horned helmet, ca. Horned gods, with Horns or Antlers appear in various cultures Golden hats (or Gold hats) ( German: Goldhüte, singular Goldhut) are a very specific and rare type of archaeological artefact Pointy hats have been a distinctive item of Headgear of a wide range of cultures throughout history in particular suggesting an ancient Indo-European tradition 1st century BC. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC.
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