Did the "elephant helmet" exist?

[Lion.Kanzen]

I have been observing for some time now that some rulers use an elephant head on Hellenistic coins, almost anything on these coins is taken as a helmet.

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presumably intended to help consolidate the dynasty, a significant concern for Euthydemus. 55 The adjective used to describe Demetrius here is καλλίνικος (‘renowned for fine victories’). The same word was apparently used as an epithet by Seleucus II.56 Demetrius’ coin portrait in which he wears an elephant scalp helmet, as well as Strabo’s reference, have led historians to assume that these victories took place in India. Of course, such analysis presupposes that the epithet should be understood as referring to a specific event. By giving Demetrius his own command, Euthydemus was again preparing him for kingship, and hoping to secure his succession. The possibility of a co-regency is an interesting one. Although only Euthydemus is given the royal title in the inscription, it was clearly considered necessary to include Demetrius in the dedication. This may pose some difficulties for attempts at historical reconstruction. Would Demetrius’ and Euthydemus’ coinages have overlapped during this potential co-regency period? As we shall see again later, the written evidence poses more questions than it answers. 54 Text: Bernard, Pinault, and Rougemont (2004); translation: Hollis (2011), 110. 55 Walbank (1984), 66-67. Interestingly, however, Seleucus and Antiochus both seem to have been referred to as kings (OGIS 214). 56 Poly

elephant scalp helmet,Uhu? 

Can be bronze or iron like Alexander Lion. 

 

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33 The appearance of the scalp on the coins from Bactria is, however, rather different from that on the Ptolemaic issues. In Egypt the type was clearly a development of Alexander’s Heracles type in which a lion scalp was worn by the bust on the obverse. The shape of the animal’s head strongly mirrored the appearance of its well-known predecessor with the pelt covering the entire head of the figure as well as running down the back and side of the head. It is clear on these coins that, however absurd, a real elephant scalp was being envisaged by the engraver. The portrait of Demetrius is quite different. Here there is a very definite line running around the side of the king’s head and tucked behind his ear. It is likely that this line is intended to represent the diadem since another line runs parallel to it for much of its course. The scalp, however, does not come below this line, giving it a very definite end point. For this reason the headdress represented here is most likely a helmet of some kind rather than an elephant scalp. Such a portrait raises the possibility that the helmet was a real object worn by the king, a feature not incongruous to the behaviour of other Hellenistic kings. Whatever the reasoning behind Demetrius’ adoption of the elephant scalp, it was certainly an extraordinary departure for the types of Graeco-Bactrian coinage, being the first time that a king had been depicted with any sort of attribute, while choosing one with which only Alexander had been previously shown can be seen as a very bold move.134 Elephants, as we shall see later, were also a significant part of Seleucid iconography as well as holding a major place in Indian religion. Copper triple unit coins issued under Demetrius feature an elephant head on the obverse. The animal has a bell around its neck, indicating that it was trained and able to be ridden and otherwise controlled. A primary use of such elephants would have been a military one.135 Any specific meaning of the elephant scalp is not, therefore, necessary, the reference may simply have been to Demetrius’ military ...

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The elephant scalp may have been used in a similar way to that on the coins of Ptolemy by symbolising an Indian conquest of Demetrius’ own, and has been used to great extent in attempts at historical reconstruction.133 The appearance of the scalp on the coins from Bactria is, however, rather different from that on the Ptolemaic issues. In Egypt the type was clearly a development of Alexander’s Heracles type in which a lion scalp was worn by the bust on the obverse. The shape of the animal’s head strongly mirrored the appearance of its well-known predecessor with the pelt covering the entire head of the figure as well as running down the back and side of the head. It is clear on these coins that, however absurd, a real elephant scalp was being envisaged by the engraver. The portrait of Demetrius is quite different. Here there is a very definite line running around the side of the king’s head and tucked behind his ear. It is likely that this line is intended to represent the diadem since another line runs parallel to it for much of its course. The scalp, however, does not come below this line, giving it a very definite end point. For this reason the headdress represented here is most likely a helmet of some kind rather than an elephant scalp. Such a portrait raises the 132 Lorber (2012). 133 See, for example, Bernard (2005), 21. The reference to a Demetrius rex Indorum in Justin (41.6) 

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The obverse type showing the king that appears on the coins of Demetrius I is much more consistent than that of his predecessor (fig. 10). The most distinctive feature is the addition of the elephant scalp. For the first time in Bactrian coinage the king is also shown from the shoulder up, rather than just in the traditional head view. Once more the diadem is highlighted, with the two ties shown behind the king’s neck, and continuing onto the king’s head, with the front of the band disappearing beneath the elephant’s trunk and tusk. The type is strongly reminiscent of Ptolemy I’s issues showing Alexander wearing the elephant scalp, apparently in recognition of the latter’s conquest of India. It has recently been suggested that the inclusion of this attribute was also a reference on the part o Ptolemy to elephant hunts undertaken by much earlier Egyptian pharaohs.132 Is it possible that the elephant scalp also had a local interpretation in Bactria.

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The shape of the animal’s head strongly mirrored the appearance of its well-known predecessor with the pelt covering the entire head of the figure as well as running down the back and side of the head. It is clear on these coins that, however absurd, a real elephant scalp was being envisaged by the engraver. The portrait of Demetrius is quite different. Here there is a very definite line running around the side of the king’s head and tucked behind his ear. It is likely that this line is intended to represent the diadem since another line runs parallel to it for much of its course. The scalp, however, does not come below this line, giving it a very definite end point. For this reason the headdress represented here is most likely a helmet of some kind rather than an elephant scalp. Such a portrait raises tpossibility that the helmet was a real object worn by the king, a feature not incongruous to the behaviour of other Hellenistic kings.

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by Lion.Kanzen