Taken from The Armour of Imperial Rome
by H. Russell-Robinson
(1975, Arms and Armour Press)

For the uninitiated distinguishing the Imperial Gallic C from an Imperial Italic E can be pretty daunting. Even those who have made a study of the system can keep discussing the exact differences between a Montefortino A and B.

The problem is that the artifacts the system is based on, do not come with a stamped marking saying which type they are supposed to be. So all one can do is try to determine where it fits.

Since The Armour of Imperial Rome is long out of print, it is not easy to get a hold of the exact criteria Russell-Robinson used to classify Roman helmets. That is why they are reproduced here.

For a chronological overview of the different types, as well as a concordance between the Robinson and continental system, go to the equipment section of Romancoins.info.