Explore two thousand years of arms and armor.
The story of armor begins in the Bronze Age, at a time when the pharaoh's workshops were experimenting with the new technology of metalworking. By the time Sparta's 300 held off the Persian army at Thermopylae, iron was becoming the material of choice for weapons. But even as late as the early Roman Republic, legionaries were wearing helmets of bronze, and the gladiators who fought to the death in the arenas of the Empire still used bronze armor that hearkened back to the legendary days of old.
In this gallery you will discover the treasured arms of ancient warriors—weapons and armor that saw action in the battles of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Stare into the eyes of helmets that may have served in the Persian Wars; admire a ”muscled” bronze breastplate that transformed its wearer into a hero from legend; imagine what ghosts might haunt the helmet of a long-dead gladiator.
