A unique military helmet was found during the preparation works of the territory for the construction of one of the sections of the fifth launch complex of the Central Ring Road (CRR) near Zvenigorod in the Moscow Region and restored with the support of the State Company Avtodor. The works lasted for more than a year.
The helmet was discovered in 2015 at the site of the Ignatievo-2 ancient settlement (now the city of Zvenigorod). In the course of historical research carried out by the State Company Avtodor before starting the construction of roads, archaeologists discovered the body of the house of a local nobleman who was in the service of the Russian Tsar. It was plundered, destroyed and burned during the troublesome times of the Polish-Lithuanian invasion. However the scientists were incredibly lucky, as the storage space underneath with weapons remained intact. At the depth of 4 meters, they found two spherical helmets of the 16th century (the period of the Ivan the Terrible), sideplates from the sheaths with silver engraving, a waist-belt hook and arrowheads.
One of the helmets was restored by the experts from the State Historical Museum and exhibited in the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. The second one was decided to be restored with the support of the State Company and, at the end of 2018, it was transferred to the State Museum of Restoration. There, the helmet was placed in a sulfide-alkaline bath for a long time in order to be subsequently manually cleaned from oxide layers. Following the results of laborious work of the restorers, fragments of rich decor were discovered. All over the helmet, ancient Russian craftsmen put a brassy plate with floral ornaments. Experts managed to restore it and the fragments of a silver layer (an ancient way of putting silver on iron items by silvering “through fire”).
The finds of the Zvenigorod arsenal discovered on the Central Ring Road are unique. For the first time in archeology, experts managed to find a complete military head-cover. In addition to the very helmet, protective ear defenders (plates that were attached to the helmet and saved the Russian warrior from by-blows) and fragments of leather covers in which military helmets were packed were also found. These covers were cut and sewn individually for each helmet. Scientists found that the cover was sewn in the shape of a bud of several petals, with a hole for a rope that pulled it together.
According to historians, the uniqueness of the helmet lies in the fact that it was possible to find the head-cover of an ordinary warrior, a simple landed nobleman. Before that, the helmets of Russian princes, wealthy voivodes and nobility fell into the hands of scientists.
