These helmets were found in the modern city of Augsburg, located on the site of the Roman city of Augusta Vindelicorum; one of Germany’s oldest cities, Augusta Vindelicorum was founded in 15BC and named in honour of Emperor Augustus. The city sits on a rather important military and economic river convergence between the Lech and Wertach and has direct access to the Alps and maintained important trade links through Europe well into the medieval period. 

Found in 1897 in the river Wertach, Miks classifies both the Augsburg I and II as Deurne/Berkasovo-II type ridge helmets (two halves of a bowl closed by a ridge); we can indeed see many similarities in decorative design of the Augsburgs to the second helmet featured in our post on the Berkasovo II, including the S-shaped reposse work running parallel to the central ridge, however there is some ground to dispute whether the Augsburg I particularly should fall into this category. 

The main reason for disputing this classification is what differentiates the Intercissa and Berkasovo typologies (the main typologies of Late Roman Ridge helmets); ridge helmets are either found with or without a base ring running below the bowl to which the cheek plates, nasal bar and neck guard are attached or without one entirely, with the cheek plates and neck guard attacked directly to the bowl. The former is a more complex type of helmet, using hinges and rivets (the Berkasovo-type) and the latter is a little more simplistic, attaching via leather strip and rivet (the Intercissa-type). This will be touched upon again in further detail when we cover the Intercissa helmet itself, however suffice to say for now that the Augsburg I fits more with the Intercissa typology than the Berkasovo one. Given the state of the Augsburg II find it is difficult to say either way, although it seems it does not feature a base ring. 

As with most Roman helmets, both helmets were made of an iron core and coated in gold-plated sheet silver. The Augsburg I was found without cheek-plates, and the II with a small fragment of cheek plate and no neck guard; there is also the unusual inclusion of what appears to be a fragment of and rivet for the eyebrow of a nasal piece, a feature typically absent on Intercissa-type helmets (it is unclear whether it belongs to either the Augsburg I, II or is from another helmet entirely). It is possible that either the Augsburg II did indeed have a base ring and the nasal belongs to this helmet, or in a break from traditional style the Augsburgs are Intercissa helmets with nasals. 

The Augsburg II also, according to Miks, was found with rivet holes, slots and the possible tab remains of a ridge crest. What form this may have taken is entirely suppositive. 

Regardless of the classification both helmets are another fine example of the simple elegance of late Roman helmet designs. When gilded and polished, the elegant reposse work truly make even the more basic helmets a thing of beauty to look upon. 

Photographs below courtesy of Christian Miks for the original finds and the Pustelak Brothers for their usual stellar work in reconstructing the fabulous Augsburg II.