OIRAT WARRIOR'S HELMET FROM THE AKMOLA REGIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM COLLECTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2020.6.393.404Keywords:
Kazakhstan, the Oirats, the Dzhungars, the Kalmyks, Oirat armour, Oirat helmetAbstract
The article provides a detailed analysis of a riveted iron helmet (GIN 148) deposited in the Akmola Regional History Museum (ARHM), Kokshetau, the Republic of Kazakhstan. Initially the helmet was identifi ed as "Russian" by Kazakhstan researchers, and subsequently reclassifi ed as "Kazakh". A typological analysis conducted by the authors has provided more precise dating and attribution of the helmet. The helmet belongs to the class of iron helmets in terms of material, to the riveted class in terms of crown design, and to the spheroconical type in terms of the dome shape. Its total height is 24.5 cm, and the diameter is 21.0 cm. It has been confi rmed that the helmet GIN 148 belongs to a special group of helmets of the Oirat-Kazakh borderland of the late Middle Ages or the early Modern times. Currently 18 similar helmets have been identifi ed by researchers, which originate from the territory of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (Volga region, Southern Siberia) and North-Western China. A distinctive feature of this series of helmets is a riveted four-plate crown supplemented by a "carcass" consisting of narrow overlays with a fl at edge and a narrow hoop (or two hoops) fi tted much higher than the bottom edge of the helmet. An analysis of the A-shaped chain mesh fi xers revealed that they can be attributed to the image of the Sanskrit syllables "ma" (written in Lancha letters), traditionally included in many Buddhist mantras. Images of the Sanskrit signs "ma", "om", etc. have been found on numerous protective weapons of Oirat manufacture (helmets, shells, etc.) dated the 17th - mid-18th centuries and deposited in Russian and foreign museum and private collections. Specifi c features of the helmet from the Aktobe Regional Museum of History and Local Lore as well as Buddhist symbols in its design indicate that this headpiece was crafted by Oirat (Jungar or Kalmyk) armourers in the 17th– mid-18th centuries. It is very likely that the helmet could have subsequently fallen into the hands of Kazakh nomads and could been used as a headpiece until the mid-19th century.
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