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I have worn a Klappsvisor in combat for years, and between the 10mm vision slit and the strategically placed breathes, I have felt very little hindrance in my ability to react to strikes. To me, the lack of oxygen and higher levels of Co2 in a closed helmet was more of a hurdle than the sights. My body would go into panic mode after a fight, regardless if I won or lost just because my brain was saying I wasnt getting enough oxygen. Great video! Thank you so much.
If worn attached to a helmet then probably would be more space between face and mask. Fascinating video, that mask is such an amazing find! Must have been an absolute thrill to discover it!
Uncanny valley. You instinctively recognize it as a human face yet it's just not quite right. We like humans, and we like non-human things (animals, cartoons, etc.) but when something is just barely human it's unsettling.
Thank you for posting this. Lately, I've been reading about cataphracts, and many illustrations depict them wearing masks similiar to the one in the video. I was curious as to whether a person could actually fight effectively while wearing one. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Please continue to post good content.
It's said in history that those face masks were more for cavalry forces, then they were for foot soldiers, mainly because when I see that face mask, I'm just thinking of an early version of the Great Helm.
Interesting watch, I assume that you'd have similar results with early period Anglo-Saxon/Vendel era helmets then as well, though this style of helmet/face mask seems far more disturbing to look at
A general note on this comment section: I am grateful for your interest in my videos. They are but one means of sharing the results of my research into historical combat with sword & shield with everybody who sees value in my work. Any video reflects my knowledge at the time of making. Because I am constantly learning, older videos might be out-dated, and I will eventually un-list them. However, you can still find them on my Patreon pages: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts On repeated request, I have re-opened comment sections with recent videos. So you are welcome to leave a comment if you feel you have something substantial to contribute on topic. I very much appreciate being pointed to relevant historical sources. I am not interested in hear-say and unreflected opinions. If a relevant question of yours has been left unanswered, then I might have missed it or the subject was already addressed elsewhere. I only check comments occasionally, so have some patience, please. Personally, I feel that constructive discussion on martial arts only exists in the analogue world, in a salle or a dojo. Please consider that your own valuable personal martial or military experience is inevitably reduced to mere assertions in a comment section. That is the nature of online media. There is zero competence control. This why I tend to shy away from such discussion. I find they are prone to misunderstanding, and generally a waste of time. Time that is better spent with actual research, practice and hands-on discussion. I am always open for the latter, and anyone with a serious interest is welcome to get in touch via private channels. Bad manners, boasting and babbling are a pest of the digital age. They have no place here.
I was interested when I saw what the video was going to be about. Deeper into the video I am a bit disappointed: while the fencing style shown here might be the result of year long research I do not think it properly reflects actual combat. Feeling the blade of the opponent in this fencing style probably negates or reduces the impact the mask might have in terms of vision.
It is the nature of humans to engage in boasting and pointless debate. Coming back to this channel I was confused why your channel has failed to grow, particularly as you have much to add to the public consciousness on the topic of historical swordsmanship. However, upon reading this and discovering that you closed discussion on your channel for a time I can see why. Sure, people will have misconceptions and down right lie. But if you really want to add to the dialogue on swords and swordsmanship you have to allow open discussion. The frauds and fools will get exposed and the truth win out in the end. Their are a lot of misconceptions about swordsmanship at the moment. But this is precisely why you should be encouraging discussion and debate on your channel instead of restricting it.
Am I remembering correctly that the Romans kept death masks in their home shrines? If so.... the appearance must have been doubly eerie to another Roman.
Interesting! The comments about it being weird to fight against are interesting. Is it more unsettling than fighting against someone with a more conventional visor? As soon as the action started, I thought that I could see how it might not hinder sight too much in one-on-one combat. An experiment in more of a mass melee setting might be interesting too.
This mask reminds me of Halloween masks fro the 1970's, remember those flimsy plastic things? I think vision would be pretty good if worn close to the face but it makes you sweat a lot.
The question is, what level of protection this mask provide? I'm talking about brass vs steel swort, spera, etc. Or, I don't know how it's in English, vulnus contusum , Eine Platzwunde .
That would be a laceration. My secret tip: www.dict.cc or dict.leo.org. Always useful, when you miss just that one word, that you absolutely want to use.
Ingo Perti obviously has a much bigger face than the original owner of the mask. I think it would be better to make a reproduction that fits him, rather than making an exact replica.
The Roman Galea helmets and others often had guards that extended from infront of the ears to the cheek. If I'm not mistaken officers and nobility would have had similar helmets which means the cheek guards probably overlapped slightly covering the now exposed parts of the face.
Well, Dimitri,this is what was at hand in the place he works at, and it made for a fun experience - nothing more. We are not actually intending to delve deeper into this. I hope you enjoyed this experiment regardless - we certainly did.
According to Metatron in 5.2021, the mask was worn mainly by Roman cavalry and then by some foot-soldiers of a specific function. On the horse, it had to be even less restraining in combat than in a sword-and-buckler fight.
An unexpected but highly interesting test! Do you think that you could comment on the contours of the eye holes so that we can understand how much the vision is restricted upwards, downwards, side-to-side, etc.? These do not seem utterly unreasonable for a cavalryman to wear, considering that he is mobile, working in a team that is likely looking multiple directions (or even has members without masks on) and is going through carefully practiced formation drills while striking and flying away from his opponents. Also, this mask may save one from the deaths and maimings that (presumably heavily armored) kings and others are reported to have received from arrows. Think Henry V or Harold Godwinson. The facial protection is a trade off, but some people might have favored it.
I assume that visual restriction does not only depend on the design of the mask but also on the shape of the face of its wearer. So it would be hard to present according data.
A very nice experiment to find out how well you can see with the mask in sparring. A really good idea from you. I am looking forward to our next training. Greetings from the Teutoburger Forest
@@robinrakoextra8800 it made it harder for me to hear them speak.. as did the sound of the blades in the video.. I can see that it doesn't cover his ears.
hey Roland my dude did the earlier Germanic tribes use seaxes like the later angels and saxons and how did they fight with them I'm super curious. and I think you'll know way more about this stuff than me
Perhaps such masks were worn by those who were less expected to combat but were in supporting or commanding roles some ranks behind, aquilifer s, so; signifers, optiones or even just ordinary centurions?
it is a cavalry mask, so i am not sure hand to hand combat is a good way of judging its limitation. (I would reckon it offers far more vision than a knight's armor)
@@swordandshield There is a certain similarity in appearance to face masks that were used after WW1. Like this one, for example: i.pinimg.com/736x/20/44/0e/20440ef48eb0f7517e63402814240099--art-techniques-vintage-photography.jpg OTOH I am not sure how often the type of face damage that occured somewhat regularly, AND WAS SURVIVED, during WW1 could have been even possible in antiquity.
With restricted vision and breathing, I can’t believe someone would actually wear it in battle. If they where ambushed maybe ? When your life is on the line, you would want any and all advantages you can get.
Well, apparently the wearer of the original mask did not survive the Varus battle. But seriously, we do not know enough about associated codes of honour and religious beliefs. They often times outweighed straight forward concepts of efficiency throughout military history. Plus, as pointed out before, the psychological impact left by a Roman standard bearer or horseman fully clad in armour shining of gold and silver, with no human face, must have been immense.
Leonardo Marques, most helmets of that period where of the open faced type for the general combatants, as ranged weapons increased in lethality and range, it eventually led to full faced helms for only those who could afford them and correct if I am wrong but often full faced helm, the face was uncovered for melee combat once the wearer passed through the “missile/lance zone” ?
@@jeffpurcell7035 It wasn't too long after Teotuburg that Rome started experimenting with enclosed helmets, and for centuries before they were the norm in the Mediterraneum. If the fighting is fierce enough even infantry would opt for face protection, and these masks were usually worn by cavalry if memory serves me. Gold and silver aren't great armour material, but I'd still have it over my face if I'm getting hit by archers or slingers, even more so if the mask was made of bronze, which I believe some were.
@@LeohTheArcher Speculation; The advantage of gold and silver could be exactly their relative softness, if the maker is aiming to maximize the proximity to the face to reduce vision and breathing problems. Can't be too hard to model after a simple plaster cast. And to gallop off into complete fantasy universe: If I were worried about getting hit by arrows or sling pellets, I would prefer wearing a plaster cast over a naked face, even if no one would normally consider plaster as suitable armor material. Hey, some actual experience: I remember wearing a plaster mask as a child, and I guarantee you, that sight and breathing through the nose is completely undisturbed, although it gets hot and itchy quite fast. Greeks and romans famously used plaster masks in theaters and for burials. I don't have the slightest ideas how one could prove - or disprove - whether they found military applications at least occassionally. Plaster would hardly leave artifacts on battlefields, and would be even challenging for a contemporary artist to depict in a battle scene.
Even if it was terrible for figthing; iIf you are a high ranking officer that will sit on his saddle to direct the troops, and does not expect to do much hand-to hand fighting, wearing a warmask to protect your face against a stray arrow or a spear is perfectly reasonable.
I am probably not the only one saying this but the only Romans on the battlefield wearing those were cavalry officers and eagle bearers so maybe you should get a horse and fight with a bronze staff.
It is Roland Warzecha’s interpretation of I.33. The reason why larg slashes are uncommon is because depending on context they can be somewhat impractical. Instead what we see is a lot of mechanical binding and winding of the swords to get the upper hand and find the opportunity to strike as we managed to see in a couple cases where Roland found an opening and feigned an attack (but refrained from hitting due to the lack of protection). My description of this type of combat may not be the most accurate because while I am attempting to learn I.33 I am doing a different interpretation and I am in general inexperienced in sword fighting.
Hi sword people! Would you like to receive weekly up-dates on weapons research, sword-fighting, living history and more straight into your inbox? To read previous newsletters and to sign up, go here: exciting-pioneer-6049.ck.page/a8f72e8432
I have worn a Klappsvisor in combat for years, and between the 10mm vision slit and the strategically placed breathes, I have felt very little hindrance in my ability to react to strikes. To me, the lack of oxygen and higher levels of Co2 in a closed helmet was more of a hurdle than the sights. My body would go into panic mode after a fight, regardless if I won or lost just because my brain was saying I wasnt getting enough oxygen. Great video! Thank you so much.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I can partially see his eyes. In a way, that's worse; it's in the uncanny valley.
That mask is positively unsettling
I think that is the point
If worn attached to a helmet then probably would be more space between face and mask. Fascinating video, that mask is such an amazing find! Must have been an absolute thrill to discover it!
The mask evokes a strange feeling in me that I don't get with fencing masks not even ones with a face painted on. How peculiar.
Uncanny valley. You instinctively recognize it as a human face yet it's just not quite right. We like humans, and we like non-human things (animals, cartoons, etc.) but when something is just barely human it's unsettling.
Thank you for posting this. Lately, I've been reading about cataphracts, and many illustrations depict them wearing masks similiar to the one in the video. I was curious as to whether a person could actually fight effectively while wearing one. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Please continue to post good content.
You are welcome.
Fantastic video! Very interesting
Found you ;)
It's said in history that those face masks were more for cavalry forces, then they were for foot soldiers, mainly because when I see that face mask, I'm just thinking of an early version of the Great Helm.
These masks seem to have influenced the god masks of the Germanic tribes such as the Sutton hoo helmet.
Very likely.
The Sutton Hoo helmet came far later, if anything the Sutton Hoo helmet was influenced by these roman masked helmets.
@@daroth7127 read better, the OP comment said the same thing, and he didn't edit his comment.
@@stefthorman8548 cool
Interesting watch, I assume that you'd have similar results with early period Anglo-Saxon/Vendel era helmets then as well, though this style of helmet/face mask seems far more disturbing to look at
I agree.
A general note on this comment section:
I am grateful for your interest in my videos. They are but one means of sharing the results of my research into historical combat with sword & shield with everybody who sees value in my work.
Any video reflects my knowledge at the time of making. Because I am constantly learning, older videos might be out-dated, and I will eventually un-list them. However, you can still find them on my Patreon pages: www.patreon.com/Dimicator/posts
On repeated request, I have re-opened comment sections with recent videos. So you are welcome to leave a comment if you feel you have something substantial to contribute on topic. I very much appreciate being pointed to relevant historical sources. I am not interested in hear-say and unreflected opinions. If a relevant question of yours has been left unanswered, then I might have missed it or the subject was already addressed elsewhere. I only check comments occasionally, so have some patience, please.
Personally, I feel that constructive discussion on martial arts only exists in the analogue world, in a salle or a dojo. Please consider that your own valuable personal martial or military experience is inevitably reduced to mere assertions in a comment section. That is the nature of online media. There is zero competence control. This why I tend to shy away from such discussion. I find they are prone to misunderstanding, and generally a waste of time. Time that is better spent with actual research, practice and hands-on discussion. I am always open for the latter, and anyone with a serious interest is welcome to get in touch via private channels.
Bad manners, boasting and babbling are a pest of the digital age. They have no place here.
I was interested when I saw what the video was going to be about. Deeper into the video I am a bit disappointed: while the fencing style shown here might be the result of year long research I do not think it properly reflects actual combat. Feeling the blade of the opponent in this fencing style probably negates or reduces the impact the mask might have in terms of vision.
It is the nature of humans to engage in boasting and pointless debate. Coming back to this channel I was confused why your channel has failed to grow, particularly as you have much to add to the public consciousness on the topic of historical swordsmanship. However, upon reading this and discovering that you closed discussion on your channel for a time I can see why. Sure, people will have misconceptions and down right lie. But if you really want to add to the dialogue on swords and swordsmanship you have to allow open discussion. The frauds and fools will get exposed and the truth win out in the end. Their are a lot of misconceptions about swordsmanship at the moment. But this is precisely why you should be encouraging discussion and debate on your channel instead of restricting it.
Great video! Experimental archeology done while having fun, is there any other way?
Am I remembering correctly that the Romans kept death masks in their home shrines?
If so.... the appearance must have been doubly eerie to another Roman.
INCREDIBILIS
Interesting! The comments about it being weird to fight against are interesting. Is it more unsettling than fighting against someone with a more conventional visor?
As soon as the action started, I thought that I could see how it might not hinder sight too much in one-on-one combat. An experiment in more of a mass melee setting might be interesting too.
I imagine having to fight someone who was wearing a mask like that would be very unnerving, especially for an ancient person who hasn't seen Gladiator
This mask reminds me of Halloween masks fro the 1970's, remember those flimsy plastic things? I think vision would be pretty good if worn close to the face but it makes you sweat a lot.
The question is, what level of protection this mask provide? I'm talking about brass vs steel swort, spera, etc.
Or, I don't know how it's in English, vulnus contusum , Eine Platzwunde .
That would be a laceration. My secret tip: www.dict.cc or dict.leo.org. Always useful, when you miss just that one word, that you absolutely want to use.
Where did you find a Resin copy
EDIT: to this day I’m still trying to get my own 3d print of the Kalkriese Teutoberg Face mask and have had no luck
Still trying 😭
Dam really got ignored
Ingo Perti obviously has a much bigger face than the original owner of the mask.
I think it would be better to make a reproduction that fits him, rather than making an exact replica.
The Roman Galea helmets and others often had guards that extended from infront of the ears to the cheek. If I'm not mistaken officers and nobility would have had similar helmets which means the cheek guards probably overlapped slightly covering the now exposed parts of the face.
Well, Dimitri,this is what was at hand in the place he works at, and it made for a fun experience - nothing more. We are not actually intending to delve deeper into this. I hope you enjoyed this experiment regardless - we certainly did.
Not really, the helmet covers the rest.
According to Metatron in 5.2021, the mask was worn mainly by Roman cavalry and then by some foot-soldiers of a specific function. On the horse, it had to be even less restraining in combat than in a sword-and-buckler fight.
The mask is quite intimidating!
An unexpected but highly interesting test! Do you think that you could comment on the contours of the eye holes so that we can understand how much the vision is restricted upwards, downwards, side-to-side, etc.? These do not seem utterly unreasonable for a cavalryman to wear, considering that he is mobile, working in a team that is likely looking multiple directions (or even has members without masks on) and is going through carefully practiced formation drills while striking and flying away from his opponents. Also, this mask may save one from the deaths and maimings that (presumably heavily armored) kings and others are reported to have received from arrows. Think Henry V or Harold Godwinson. The facial protection is a trade off, but some people might have favored it.
I assume that visual restriction does not only depend on the design of the mask but also on the shape of the face of its wearer. So it would be hard to present according data.
Arminius wore it like a badass 💯
Can you make a video about how to fight with a Roman Shield and Sword. Or would it be very similar to fighting with any type of shield?
A very nice experiment to find out how well you can see with the mask in sparring. A really good idea from you.
I am looking forward to our next training.
Greetings from the Teutoburger Forest
Thanks for the video. Obviously the mask made it a bit harder to hear.. As did the sound of the blades in the background.
It doesn't cover the ears, so no, it wouldn't.
What? Did you even see the mask?
@@robinrakoextra8800 it made it harder for me to hear them speak.. as did the sound of the blades in the video.. I can see that it doesn't cover his ears.
@@stefthorman8548 🤔 there was a mask? I presumed it was his fave
That's unbelievably badass!
hey Roland my dude did the earlier Germanic tribes use seaxes like the later angels and saxons
and how did they fight with them I'm super curious. and I think you'll know way more about this stuff than me
I have not looked into that much. but when I do. I will share my insights, of course.
Perhaps such masks were worn by those who were less expected to combat but were in supporting or commanding roles some ranks behind, aquilifer
s, so; signifers, optiones or even just ordinary centurions?
Maybe. This is not my field of expertise. I am sure experts on Roman military can tell you more.
No they were calvary masks.
it is a cavalry mask, so i am not sure hand to hand combat is a good way of judging its limitation. (I would reckon it offers far more vision than a knight's armor)
the question is not necessary the physical fight which it's irrelevant but the look and fear of what is behind the mask
This is another Kung Fu in my opinion
so can you figth with the mask?
That is cool.
Interesting. But does it affect _mounted_ combat?
Unfortunately, this is not my field of expertise.
Is it possible that these were worn by people with previous severe facial injuries?
What makes you think so?
Just speculation - I don’t have any documentation to support this
@@swordandshield There is a certain similarity in appearance to face masks that were used after WW1. Like this one, for example: i.pinimg.com/736x/20/44/0e/20440ef48eb0f7517e63402814240099--art-techniques-vintage-photography.jpg
OTOH I am not sure how often the type of face damage that occured somewhat regularly, AND WAS SURVIVED, during WW1 could have been even possible in antiquity.
GIVE US AURELIAN!
Roland is too handsome to ever wear a mask.
Good thing you will never know if you made me blush. You certainly made me smile.
I wonder if the helmet would cause the mask to shift more ?...God bless...doug
Ingo
With restricted vision and breathing, I can’t believe someone would actually wear it in battle. If they where ambushed maybe ? When your life is on the line, you would want any and all advantages you can get.
Same could be said of any helmet
Well, apparently the wearer of the original mask did not survive the Varus battle. But seriously, we do not know enough about associated codes of honour and religious beliefs. They often times outweighed straight forward concepts of efficiency throughout military history. Plus, as pointed out before, the psychological impact left by a Roman standard bearer or horseman fully clad in armour shining of gold and silver, with no human face, must have been immense.
Leonardo Marques, most helmets of that period where of the open faced type for the general combatants, as ranged weapons increased in lethality and range, it eventually led to full faced helms for only those who could afford them and correct if I am wrong but often full faced helm, the face was uncovered for melee combat once the wearer passed through the “missile/lance zone” ?
@@jeffpurcell7035 It wasn't too long after Teotuburg that Rome started experimenting with enclosed helmets, and for centuries before they were the norm in the Mediterraneum. If the fighting is fierce enough even infantry would opt for face protection, and these masks were usually worn by cavalry if memory serves me. Gold and silver aren't great armour material, but I'd still have it over my face if I'm getting hit by archers or slingers, even more so if the mask was made of bronze, which I believe some were.
@@LeohTheArcher Speculation; The advantage of gold and silver could be exactly their relative softness, if the maker is aiming to maximize the proximity to the face to reduce vision and breathing problems. Can't be too hard to model after a simple plaster cast.
And to gallop off into complete fantasy universe: If I were worried about getting hit by arrows or sling pellets, I would prefer wearing a plaster cast over a naked face, even if no one would normally consider plaster as suitable armor material. Hey, some actual experience: I remember wearing a plaster mask as a child, and I guarantee you, that sight and breathing through the nose is completely undisturbed, although it gets hot and itchy quite fast.
Greeks and romans famously used plaster masks in theaters and for burials. I don't have the slightest ideas how one could prove - or disprove - whether they found military applications at least occassionally. Plaster would hardly leave artifacts on battlefields, and would be even challenging for a contemporary artist to depict in a battle scene.
I have a high quality reproduction in my home - You CANNOT imagine the response people have when seeing it. They are both alarmed & enamored
How Where did you get one?
Even if it was terrible for figthing; iIf you are a high ranking officer that will sit on his saddle to direct the troops, and does not expect to do much hand-to hand fighting, wearing a warmask to protect your face against a stray arrow or a spear is perfectly reasonable.
Well no, if you want to direct your troops you have to be able too see them.
@@vorrnth8734 Those eye holes seem large enough. :/
Romans made very difficult performances with these masks on so they couldn't have been that bad.
Knights wore all kinds of visors so why would a mask be anymore truble lol
Ye olde Michael Meyers
I am probably not the only one saying this but the only Romans on the battlefield wearing those were cavalry officers and eagle bearers so maybe you should get a horse and fight with a bronze staff.
that mask can using to fried the fish and pork
Is this sword fighting or some sort of dance? Where are the slashes and strikes?
It is Roland Warzecha’s interpretation of I.33. The reason why larg slashes are uncommon is because depending on context they can be somewhat impractical. Instead what we see is a lot of mechanical binding and winding of the swords to get the upper hand and find the opportunity to strike as we managed to see in a couple cases where Roland found an opening and feigned an attack (but refrained from hitting due to the lack of protection). My description of this type of combat may not be the most accurate because while I am attempting to learn I.33 I am doing a different interpretation and I am in general inexperienced in sword fighting.
INCREDIBILIS