"What did Ancient Warriors wear under their helmets ?" Topic

OK guys, if you come forward enough in time, you get to a period where Knights and others, who wear some kind of Helmet. Have padded head wear, or "Arming Caps" underneath their protective helmet, or even chainmail.

Now as far as I'm aware, getting smacked on the head wearing a metal pot of some kind, without this, would hurt just as much if you were in a Legion in 26AD, as it would if you were in a European Army in 1326AD.

So when did people wise up to this?

Now of course items of clothing didn't survive like the Armour itself but I don't recall any historical reference to such a layer of protection. Which probably says more about me than researchers.

Any thoughts as to when and where you may have seen such information written down somewhere? I would include some form of webbing or liner, similar to WW2, or more modern infantry helmets, if that existed.

I've read a lot by ancient scholars and illustrators such as Peter Connolly about ancient helmets often showing signs of an attached inner lining that could be glued in place or holes around the base of the helmet indicating where a liner was sewn in. There are vase paintings showing Greek hoplites with what we might call "arming caps" on their heads, or bands of fabric wrapped around the head. It's pretty obvious that individuals would find something that worked for them, gave added protection, and enabled their helmet to fit snugly. Modern reenactors do the same thing.

You can probably push padding back as far as the first metal helmets — so yes, into the Sumerian period.

The copper helmets from the Royal Cemetery of Ur (e.g. the one associated with Meskalamdug, c. 2500 BC) are thin, close-fitting, and would transmit shock very efficiently. Wearing one directly on the skull without anything underneath would be, frankly, a bad idea. So metal helmets & padded lining would have always been together.

We don't have surviving liners (not surprising — textile/leather almost never survives) and no written reference saying, "they wore padding." But there are a few clues.

Edge treatments and fit suggest the helmet sat over something

Contemporary depictions like the Standard of Ur show snug helmets, possibly over caps

Every later culture that uses metal helmets also uses padding of some kind

So the sensible interpretation is that even in the Early Bronze Age they were wearing simple caps underneath — wool, linen, or felt would all do the job.

The real difference isn't whether they used padding, but how much:

Bronze Age: probably thin cap or basic liner

Roman: internal liner (leather/textile)

Medieval: heavy, purpose-built arming caps + more developed suspension

There's no reason to think anyone at any period happily wore bare metal on their head if they could avoid it — we just have to infer the early solutions because the materials didn't survive.

There's lots of different theories and ideas. One interesting one I read suggested that their braided hair was used as padding by some Dark Ages warriors. Some sort of padding would be needed, and there were probably as many "solutions" to the problem as their were helmets.

I think as well that since the majority of Ancient Soldiers were issued their helmets, and will have done their utmost to make them fit, as well as padding their heads!?

There is pretty good evidence of underhelmets/caps being worn under the helmet as early as the Etruscans and ancient Greeks – for the Romans as noted even documentary evidence (Ammianus Marcellinus, 359 AD (or CE)) and some evidence that the Egyptians used them as well – basically, our ancestors were a lot of things but stupid was not one of them – wearing bare metal on your head once would convince you of that

Also, wearing a metal helmet without padding will invite some nasty scalp burns after the sun heats it up… ;-)

Some pictorial and physical evidence

x-legio.com/en/wiki/pileus

Excellent, enfant perdus.

You've spurred me into considering the Late Romans who often wore the Pileus Pannonicus (Pannonian Cap) instead of a metal helmet. It was a cap made of felt, wool, or fur, often described as a low "pillbox" or fez-like hat and originating from the Pannonia region.

It was widely worn by LR soldiers and officers. I wonder if this might have originated as a padding for metal helmets? And become a hat in its own right – a bit like the US infantry in WW2 who would wear their M1941 Wool Knit Cap by itself.

Watch "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms", and see what happens when you DON'T pad your helmet.
Naming no names, because it's a SPOILER.

I seem to remember hearing that some Greeks used sponges under their helmets.