[Regia-NA] The Nasal: What's it for?

[PAUL WADDINGTON]

A nasal bar gives some protection to the face without cutting your vision, 
it actualy does a pretty good job of blocking cuts to the face. As for cheek 
plates , they were certainly used earlier in the Saxon period on the Pioneer 
and Coppergate helm's but seem to go out of fashion later on.
Cheers
Paul


>From: "Douglas Sunlin" <dsunlin at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: list-Regia-NA <list-regia-na at lig.net>
>To: list-regia-na at lig.net
>Subject: [Regia-NA] The Nasal: What's it for?
>Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 17:52:49 -0700
>
>We haven't had a good scholarly debate on this list for a while, so I'd 
>like to open up a question that has puzzled me for some time. The helmets 
>of our period seemed to have featured nasals. I am wondering, what purpose 
>did they serve? The obvious answer is "to protect your nose", but notice 
>that few if any blows would be aimed directly for your nose. Sword strokes 
>would impact mostly at the unprotected side of the head, spears thrusts 
>might be deflected, but only directly into the eyes, which wouldn't be much 
>better.
>
>Any clues? Why not have "side-burns" guards as in some of the Roman 
>helmets?
>
>On manræden,
>Osweald of Baldurstrand
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/California_Viking_Age
>http://www.geocities.com/baldurstrand/
>
>
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