Napoleon and the Roman Gladiator Helmet,One of the Louvre’s most interesting pieces was an ancient b
Napoleon and the Roman Gladiator Helmet,One of the Louvre’s most interesting pieces was an ancient bronze helmet most likely used by a Roman gladiator in Pompeii. Called a Thracian type helmet, it would have been used by a Thracian type gladiator which along with wearing this type of helmet used a small shield and a small curved sword called a sica. Other than the helmet, the thraex may have had armor on his legs and arms, but was typically bare chested.When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the helmet was of course buried under a mound of ash and seemingly lost to history forever. However, the history of the helmet would endure, and amazing grow beyond the history of Ancient Rome. In 1766 the Kingdom of Naples funded an archaeological dig of Pompeii, excavating the gladiator barracks where the helmet was found. The helmet was then taken into possession of the King of Naples. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the French general and First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte conducted a number of campaigns throughout Italy, effectively gaining control of the country. In 1802 King Ferdinand IV of Naples gifted the helmet to Napoleon as a peace offering. Napoleon was a man obsessed with Ancient Roman history and antiquities who certainly collected more than Roman Imperial titles. The helmet went back to France with Napoleon and was placed on display at the Bonaparte residence, the Chateau du Malmaison. The helmet remained in the possession of Napoleon’s ex wife, Josephine, until her death in 1814. From there the helmet passed through multiple owners until it was inducted into the Louvre in 1892.http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/helmet-thracian-gladiator -- source link
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