Pylos (helmet)

Warrior in the pilos. Monument of the end of the 5th century BC e.

Pylos ( dr. Greek πῖλος ) is an ancient Greek helmet technologically advanced in production for lightly armed infantry.

The first samples are found on Mycenaean frescoes of the late 2nd millennium BC. e., although at that time such helmets were collected from bronze scales. All-metal pilos appeared by the 5th century BC. e., possibly produced by state orders of cities for arming poor citizens. In the III century BC. e. Pilos ousted Attic helmets from Hellas - the era of heroes and wealthy citizens fighting for glory gave way to the era of mercenaries. Large armies required a lot of armor, it was too impractical to adjust the helmet individually to the size of the head, as was done in Corinthian and Attic helmets.

Warriors in pilos. From the ancient Greek vases of the V century BC. e.

A semiconical rounded bronze hat ( Greek: πῖλος - hat made of felt) does not require much effort in manufacturing. Thucydides , describing the battle in 425 BC e., noted that the warriors of Sparta suffered from the arrows of the Athenians due to insufficient protection of the pilots (4.34), although perhaps he did not mean helmets, namely the caps of lightly armed infantrymen, since the soldiers in pilos are depicted without shells. In southern Italy, pilots were decorated with sultans ; they were hung with cheeks , which made them a worthy headdress for riders. Later, the conical shape of the pilots was widely reproduced in the helmets of the early Middle Ages , since it was difficult to forge a more complex shape from iron.

Pilots vary in weight from 700 to 900 grams, depending on the thickness of the bronze. By reducing the protective area, it was possible to increase the thickness of the metal in the upper part of the pilos, the most likely place of impact.