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A Greek bronze helmet , covered with gold leafage and beautify with snake , lions and a peacock butterfly ’s tail ( or palmette ) , has been let on in the amniotic fluid of Haifa Bay in Israel . But how this helmet ended up at the bottom of the bay tree is a mystery .
The helmet date stamp back around 2,600 years and likely belonged to a affluent Grecian mercenary who took part in a series of wars , immortalize in the Bible , which ravaged the region at that prison term . Archaeologists believe that he likely agitate foran Egyptian pharaohnamed Necho II .
Covered with gold leaf (now somewhat corroded), this 2,600-year-old bronze helmet was discovered in the waters of Haifa Bay, in Israel. The helmet would have been worn by a wealthy Greek mercenary leader.
dredge discovery
They observe that it is very similar toanother helmetfound in the 1950s near the Italian island of Giglio , about 1,500 miles ( 2,300 kilometer ) away . That helmet has been date to around 2,600 twelvemonth ago , something which helped the researchers come at a date for the Haifa Bay helmet .
ThisGreek warriorlikely would have been a very wealthy soul , as few soldier could afford such an ornate helmet . The researcher are n’t certain where the helmet was made , though they suspect the warrior could be from one of the Grecian colonies in Ionia , on the west coast of advanced - day Turkey . [ The account of Human Aggression ]
Snakes curl above the eyelids of the helmet, flanked by a peacock’s tail (or palmette).
Greek warrior loses helmet
At the clip the helmet was made , circa 600 B.C. , Greek colonies dotted the Mediterranean seacoast , stretching from the Black Sea to southerly France . Even so , there is no evidence of Hellenic colony in Israel , indicating the warrior who ventured into Haifa Bay was likely the leader of a group of Grecian mercenaries .
This warrior was likely one of Egyptian pharaoh Necho II ’s troops , which he sent through Israel accompanied by a fleet of ancient ships . The Pharaoh of Egypt was heavily involved in military campaigns in the region for nearly a decade , operation in which this warrior and his group likely were involve . [ Photos : astonishing Egyptian find ]
" They were not oppose for the Greeks , they were fighting for Egypt , " Sharvit told LiveScience in an interview .
The series of wars engulf Egypt , Judah ( a Judaic kingdom ) , Assyria and Babylon , with Necho II of Egypt intervening on the side of Assyria .
The remainder result of these conflicts was the conquest of Judah and the ascent of a renascent Babylon led by King Nebuchadnezzar II . These events would be immortalized inthe Torah(the Christian Old Testament ) .
At some full point , amidst all this history , the elite Greek warrior ’s helmet ended up at the bottom of Haifa Bay .
Bottom of the harbor
The simplest ( albeit most embarrassing ) account is as to how the helmet ended up at the bottom of Haifa Bay is that somebody spend it while the warrior ’s ship was sailing into the harbour .
Another possibility is that the ship extend the warrior sank , suggestingan ancient shipwreckawaits discovery . " We are planning to go back to the same site and to hear to settle other ( archeologic ) material there , " Sharvit said .
Yet another possibility ( again , anembarrassing one for the warrior ) is that the helmet was lost during a retreat after Necho II ’s armies were defeated by the Babylonians .
The results of the investigator ' employment were presented in January at the yearly meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America . The helmet itself is now on video display at the National Maritime Museum in Haifa .
