Iron mask

Iron mask - purpose

Iron mask

The only specimen of Roman sports-parade equipment kept in the Archaeological Museum is an iron mask found in Sotin in 1908, presumably in a grave.

The mask depicts a young male face. It is between 1-2 mm thick. The mask is in fact a visor of an equestrian helmet with a still visible rivet on the upper edge above the nose. The rivet was once inserted into the corresponding aperture, fixing the visor to the helmet. The recent conservation treatment proved Hoffiller right in believing that the mask consisted of two layers—exterior and interior one—joined together.