Quilted protection

What is he wearing on his head?

What is he wearing on his head?

Thats what centurions wear under their helmets! Usually a felt cap, I can for once speak authoritatively here-in Kendo one wears a folded cotton square under the men (helmet/face guard), (normally with encouraging or sacred slogans printed or painted upon it). One usually finds 30lbs of armour quite warm and heavy after ten minutes or so, the role of the head square is to absorb the copious sweat .Usually western practitioners feel better with shorter hair-I kept mine cropped right back-even so the head square offers substantial additional protection to a heavy blow to the top of the head, and I do mean heavy, I have "seen stars " for a few moments during fights and hard training, this may sem hard to believe -until you fight without one!.Felt is denser still and will prevent chaffing, keep the head warm and hopefully keep that falxe out of your parting.

Good reasoning, but it looks quite silly without the helmet over top And didn't this tend to make the helmet even hotter and uncomfortable?

 

I don't know what a Kendo helmet looks like, but I did TKD sparring for a few years...we never wore anything under our helmets (which were made of vented foam) in fact, many of the girls had a habit of pulling their ponytails out of the top of the helmet

 

I had thought perhaps the helmets were just thickly lined did they ever line the helmets with anything?

I've always wondered what they wore under their helmets seeing as some people claim that there was no sruffing inside the helmet bowl, which would have made it rather uncomfortable to wear.

 

Would the soldiers of the later empire wear the traditional 'pillbox' and 'Phrygian' caps under their helmets? or would they worn them only when off duty?

I've always wondered what they wore under their helmets seeing as some people claim that there was no sruffing inside the helmet bowl, which would have made it rather uncomfortable to wear.

 

Would the soldiers of the later empire wear the traditional 'pillbox' and 'Phrygian' caps under their helmets? or would they worn them only when off duty?

Its essential to have an extra layer-particularly when its hot, the helmets can only be pushed off with one finger they get so hot during summer( I kid you not) ! As regards the pillbox hats im uncertain, my contacts are Claudian/Flavian era (apart from the mounted Auxilliae who are 3rd C AD, and they wear this style).