These helmets have changed over the years but they all started from leather cut into a shape that would fit nicely over the head. The leather helmets did help defend ones self from objects that might interfere with ones head but the protection was minimal. If it was a stick or a stone that was colliding with the head the leather helmet might save a life or prevent major injuries but once an object became sharp, like a sword, and had a reasonable amount of power, like a swing human arm, the leather helmet was almost useless.
After the leather helmets came the copper helmets. These helmets were mainly used in Greece and although they were better then the leather helmets they were not as good as bronze helmets. Copper was used as early as 9000BC but helmets were not made out of them until much later as helmets required a more complicated mould. As not many societies had copper during the early copper age not many places made helmets out of it.
The bronze helmets were the first main stage in metal helmets. They were designed to stop cuts from swords, arrows and other sharp devices. They were very effective at stopping cuts but if an object was propelled at the helmet with reasonable force and hit it in a weak area then the helmet would bend and could and quite often would kill the person inside. It was also possible for the helmet to bend and trap the person inside the helmet. The first recorded time of bronze being used was in 2500BC. In some places bronze was expensive as tin, which is used to make bronze, was rare.
Iron helmets became available at about 1500BC although they were rare and very expensive for the first few hundred years. During the Iron Age bronze helmets were still used, often by the soldiers that were considered less important. Iron helmets were still widely used up until about the 5th century AD. Iron helmets were very strong but much heavier then previous helmets.
Around 50 AD mail helmets were very popular as they were lighter then previous helmets but still gave a great deal of protection. Mail helmets were expensive and only used by higher ranked military as it took a long time to make them and the materials used were fairly expensive. Mail often did not cover the entire head. Some common ways mail was worn are under a helmet, around the neck and used as a curtain to protect the side of the face and neck. Also at this time, alloys were being experimented with.
Anyone wearing a helmet was considered a soldier to the general public. Local protection agencies (police) were not widely used. Often a soldier would not wear armor other then a helmet unless they were in battle. For a soldier to be recognized the helmet was the most obvious indicator. Other then the helmet a soldier would carry a weapon and sometimes wear a uniform.
During the Middle Ages helmets started to be more a uniform then a protection device. Hair like features was added to some. Some had manes and tails while others were still pure defensive head coverings. Police and armed guards began to be used. Almost all guards wore helmets. An obvious example of a middle age hat is the bearskin hats used by the brigade of guards in London, although these hat were not invented until the 17th century they are examples of middle aged helmets as well as helmets of the 17th and 18th century. The middle ages were also the beginning of helmets that did not protect any part of the head other then the top.
During the world war years helmets have taken a steel pot design. The hats are simply steel with camouflaged fabric over the top. After the wars there has been more money spent on equipment therefore the helmets are much better. Helmets today have very complicated suspension systems and bullet resistant padding, some consider the bullet resistant padding bullet proof however there is no evidence to suggest that the padding is bullet proof. Helmets today are even blast resistant, extra light and comfort is taken in account. The helmets cover most of the back and all the top of the head however leave a majority of unprotected skin at the front. Protecting the front of the face was very important in ancient times but now that almost all weapons are ranged weapons and require a great deal of accuracy to use, vision is much more important.
