Helmet Of Coțofenești
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Golden Helmet of Coțofenești () is a Geto-
Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...
n
helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...
made of
electrum Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals. Its color ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver. It has been produced artificially and is ...
dating from the second half of the 5th century BC. Discovered in the Romanian village of Coțofenești, it was exhibited at the
National History Museum of Romania The National History Museum of Romania () is a museum located at 12 Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanian historical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times. Overview The museum is located inside the former P ...
in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
before being
stolen Stolen may refer to: Films * ''Stolen'' (2009 Australian film), a 2009 Australian film * ''Stolen'' (2009 American film), a 2009 American film * ''Stolen: The Baby Kahu Story'' (2010 film), a film based on the real life kidnapping of baby Kahu ...
in 2025 during a robbery at the
Drents Museum The Drents Museum () is an art and history museum in Assen, Drenthe, the Netherlands. Opened in 1854, it has a collection of prehistoric artifacts, applied art and visual art, as well as temporary exhibitions. In 2023, it had 179,345 visitors. ...
in
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, where it was being displayed as part of a travelling exhibition. Its current whereabouts and condition remain unknown.


Provenance


Discovery

The helmet was discovered in 1926 on a grassland by a farmer's child named Traian Simion who was herding sheep in the village of Poiana Coțofenești (now part of
Vărbilău Vărbilău is a commune in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Coțofenești, Livadea, Podu Ursului, Poiana Vărbilău, and Vărbilău. Geography The commune is located in the central part of the county, north ...
commune),
Prahova County Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...
, Romania, at a location called "Vârful Fundăturii". The child reportedly wore the helmet for two weeks and used it as a
toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...
, causing some parts to become detached from the helmet. According to archeologist's analysis, the top part of the helmet was damaged by being hit or pulled on while hanging on a tree. The helmet was also used as a
watering trough A watering trough (or artificial watering point) is a man-made or natural receptacle intended to provide drinking water to animals, livestock on farms or ranches or wild animals. History In Australia, the watering trough is established so t ...
for
chickens The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
, and eventually the
farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
placed it on top of his chicken coop. At some time, a
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
merchant by the name of Ion (or Jean) Marinescu-Moreanu bought the helmet, including the detached upper part, for the sum of 30,000 lei, equivalent to up to 30 years' income for the farmer. Marinescu offered the helmet to head of the Ministry of Arts
Ion Marin Sadoveanu Ion Marin Sadoveanu (born Iancu-Leonte Marinescu; June 15, 1893 – February 2, 1964) was a Romanian playwright. Biography Born in Bucharest, he started his education at a grammar school in Constanța, where his father practiced medicine. He co ...
. In April 1929, the helmet was purchased by the Ministry of Public Instruction and Cults for the National Museum of Antiquities, now the
National History Museum of Romania The National History Museum of Romania () is a museum located at 12 Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, Romania, which contains Romanian historical artifacts from prehistoric times up to modern times. Overview The museum is located inside the former P ...
. Initially, Marinescu was celebrated for saving a national treasure, but after the landslide
1928 Romanian general election General elections were held in Romania in December 1928. Immediately after acceding to power, the National Peasants' Party (PNȚ) prepared the next elections. The lists were filed before the local Courts before 26 November, while voting took place ...
, Marinescu, presumably a sympathizer of the losing
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, was vilified for "enriching himself". Since the 1970s, the helmet has been kept at the National History Museum of Romania.


Site survey

Archaeologist
Ioan Andrieșescu Ioan is a variation on the name John (first name), John found in Aromanian language, Aromanian, Romanian language, Romanian, Bulgarian language, Bulgarian, Russian language, Russian, Welsh language, Welsh (), and Sardinian language, Sardinian. It ...
, professor of prehistory at the
University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
, conducted a thorough investigation at the site. The team of archaeologists noticed that the helmet was not part of a gold treasure or grave but it was part of a local Geto-Dacian La Tène settlement. Archaeologists concluded that the helmet was a stray find, as only a few late
Hallstatt Hallstatt () is a small town in the district of Gmunden District, Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Sa ...
pottery fragments were found, some of them wheeled.


Analysis

Weighing almost a kilogram, the gold helmet is very well preserved, missing only part of its skull cap. The form of the helmet and its decorations reveal the autochthonous character of this Geto-Dacian artwork. The helmet is decorated with large studs on the top of the skull and two very large
apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...
eyes, meant to ward off the
evil eye The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glaring, glare, usually inspired by envy. Amulets to Apotropaic, protect against it have been found dating to around 5,000 years ago. It is found in many cultures i ...
and magic spells. It was established that it belonged to an unknown local Geto-Dacian king or to a local aristocrat, from around year 400 BC. The helmet's decorations depict a range of mythical creatures, and an illustration, on either cheek-piece, of a ritual enactment. The cheek-pieces show a ram being sacrificed by a man who kneels on its body and is about to cut its throat with a short
knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...
. The iconography on the right side of the helmet is of a great interest, and has been interpreted in light of the
tauroctony ''Tauroctony'' is a neologism, modern name given to the central cult image, cult reliefs of the Mithraic Mysteries in the Roman Empire. The imagery depicts Mithras killing a bull, hence the name ''tauroctony'' after the Greek word (, "bull killi ...
scene from the
Mithraic Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion focused on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras was link ...
Mysteries. Environment and affluence might well account for a change to a larger beast being offered as sacrifice and a similar interpretation of a bull-slaying episode. This sacrifice of the ram might have been performed by the "king-priest-god". The pair of "Voracious Beasts" on the Coțofenești neck-guard occupy a lower register along with a similar creature deprived of a victim’s leg. This motif of the "Voracious Beast" is found earlier in
Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
n art, and was popular among the
Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...
.
Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...
was probably the intermediary for its transferral to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and around the
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, but the motif must also have traveled through
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
to appear in a North Thracian idiom not only on the Coțofenești neck-guard but also in high
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
on the base of the Aghighiol beakers, named after the village near the
Danube Delta The Danube Delta (, ; , ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. Occurring where the Danube, Danube River empties into the Black Sea, most of the Danube Delta lies in Romania ...
in eastern Romania where they were found. The upper register displays a row of three seated or squatting winged creatures, rather monkey-like with human faces, long forearms, and long tails. These are direct, if run-down, descendants of the
sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...
es on a gold beaker from
Amlash Amlash () is a city in the Central District of Amlash County, Gilan province, in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district. Amlash sits at an altitude of 13 metres (45 feet). Demographics Population At ...
. The eyes on a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
battle-shield may be designated to ward off evil blows, but once translated onto a helmet, and above the eyes of a North Thracian noble who wore it, they could mean "I see twice as well, I have eyes like my hawk". The Thracian gold and silversmiths who manufactured the objects were aware of other contemporary art styles—those of
Scythia Scythia (, ) or Scythica (, ) was a geographic region defined in the ancient Graeco-Roman world that encompassed the Pontic steppe. It was inhabited by Scythians, an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people. Etymology The names ...
, Greece, northeast Italy, and what is now modern
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
were known through trade, travel, and meetings and they adapted conventions of representation suitable for their own purposes. The meaning of these motifs was no doubt context-specific. The decorations, such as rosettes, strips,
triangles A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimensiona ...
,
spirals In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving further away as it revolves around the point. It is a subtype of whorled patterns, a broad group that also includes concentric objects. Two-dimensional A two-dimension ...
, and others are specific Geto-Dacian art motifs. The depiction of the sacrifice of the ram is an
Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
theme that entered Greek art and from there 'barbarian' art. Therefore, the helmet seems to have been realized in a Greek workshop. But, in the same time the awkward technique of execution that contrasts with the perfect technique of a Greek craftsman points out to an autochthonous one.


Theft

On January 25, 2025,
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
officials announced the helmet had been stolen from the
Drents Museum The Drents Museum () is an art and history museum in Assen, Drenthe, the Netherlands. Opened in 1854, it has a collection of prehistoric artifacts, applied art and visual art, as well as temporary exhibitions. In 2023, it had 179,345 visitors. ...
in
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
, where it had been on loan, along with three golden
Dacian bracelets The Dacian bracelets are bracelets associated with the ancient people known as the Dacians, a distinct branch of the Thracians. These bracelets were used as ornaments, currency, high rank insignia and votive offerings * For the various functio ...
. Experts believe that the thieves intended to melt the artifacts. Its theft sparked criticism over the loan agreement in Romania, and on 28 January, the Romanian minister of Culture Natalia Intotero fired the museum's director, Ernest Oberländer, saying that he had "failed to adequately protect the national heritage".


In popular culture

A
replica A replica is an exact (usually 1:1 in scale) copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without ...
of the helmet appeared in the 1967 historical movie '' Dacii'' (''The Dacians'') by
Sergiu Nicolaescu Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a Romanian people, Romanian film director, actor and politician. He was best known for his historical films, such as ''Michael the Brave (film), Mihai Viteazul'' (1970, released in ...
, though it took place at least 500 years after the period to which the helmet has been dated. Worn by the Dacian king
Decebalus Decebalus (; ), sometimes referred to as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacians, Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south across the Danube, he defeated a R ...
, the movie helmet had a flat top, an inaccuracy that entered the
vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
of
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
. The
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
s "Din zori de istorie", published in late 1970s in "Cutezătorii" magazine, written by
Vasile Mănuceanu Vasile is a male Romanian given name or a surname. It is equivalent to the English name Basil which is of Greek origin and means "King". It is also used by the Megleno-Romanians. As a given name As a surname *Cristian Vasile (1908–1985), R ...
and drawn by Albin Stănescu, also depicts the helmet with a flat top. It is worn by the Getian king ''Odrix'' during the conflict with the Persian king
Darius I Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...
, who in 513 BC, was campaigning against the
Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...
. The action takes place within roughly the period that produced the original helmet. A similar comic strip written by Mănuceanu and drawn by
Sandu Florea Sandu Florea (; born 28 June 1946) is a Romanian-American comic book and comic strip Comic book creator, creator, also known as an inker and Illustration, book illustrator. A trained architect and a presence on the science fiction scene during the ...
depicts the king
Burebista Burebista () was the king of the Getae and Dacian tribes from 82/61BC to 45/44BC. He was the first king who successfully unified the tribes of the Dacian kingdom, which comprised the area located between the Danube, Tisza, and Dniester rivers, ...
wearing the helmet as well.


See also

*
Getae The Getae or Getai ( or , also Getans) were a large nation who inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania, throughout much of Classical Antiquity. The main source of informa ...
*
Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...


Notes


References

* * * *


External links

* Archaeology at Coțofenești - cIMeC' Digital Archives of Archaeology.
Synthesis of the monography of Dumbrăvești commune
- Includes a detailed account of the discovery



* * ttp://www.romanianhistoryandculture.com/getaigoldsilverarmor.htm Gold and Silver Armour of the Getian-Dacian Elite. Military Equipment and Organization.
Thracian beaker with birds and animals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helmet Of Cotofenesti 5th century BC 5th-century BC artifacts 1929 archaeological discoveries Archaeological discoveries in Romania Dacian culture Ancient helmets Thracian archaeological artifacts Dacian weapons Individual helmets Stolen works of art 1929 in Romania Individual thefts Drents Museum