Met’s Elamite raptor helmet pairs “battle” imagery with gold-plated gods

There is a specific kind of object that instantly changes the way you picture an ancient world: one that is both practical and theatrical. This Elamite bronze helmet, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and dated circa 1500 to 1100 B.C., is built for exactly that kind of dual purpose. Its dome-shaped bronze body measures roughly 8.5 inches (21.6 centimeters) in diameter, with a thin cutaway on the front where it would have fit over the wearer’s eyebrows, plus a small projection that would have extended down to cover the nose. But the real headline is the decoration. A large bird of prey (a raptor) is positioned vertically over three gold-plated divine figures, turning head protection into a rolling piece of battlefield theater.