Introduction One of the most important functions of personal protective equipment from the time of their appearance in the development of military affairs in ancient times is to protect the warrior's head from striking blows with offensive weapons of the enemy. The need for protective heads was realized even before the development of metallurgy and metalworking in connection with the spread of such a formidable impact weapon as a stone drilled battle axe. A single blow on the head with this axe was enough to knock the opponent out of action. The most ancient combat head coverings and other head protection devices were probably made from organic materials (Gorelik, 1993, p. 154). The invention and spread of bronze casting and thin-walled casting technology in the developed Bronze Age opened up wide opportunities for the manufacture of large metal-intensive weapons, including protective ones. In the Central Asian region, the oldest cast bronze helmets known to date come from Late Bronze Age tombs in Mongolia (Varenov, 1994, p. 91; Erdenebaatar and Khudyakov, 2000, p.140; Khudyakov, 2001, p. 60-63). Bronze battle heads with a spherical or conical dome and decorative design were also used for protection by warriors of nomadic peoples of the Scythian period. Bronze helmets dating back to the Early Iron Age have been found in the Altai and Central Asia (Gorelik, 1993, p. 168-170; Khudyakov, Tabaldiev, and Soltobaev, 2001, p. 101-104). The most ancient battle heads made of iron found in the burials of Central Asian nomads date back to the Xianbian period. In the Laoheshen burial ground in Manchuria, helmets were found consisting of narrow iron plates connected by leather cords and crowned with hemispherical finials (Rec and Yu Su-Hua, 1999, p. 50; Khudyakov and Yu Su-Hua, 2000, p. 41; Bobrov and Khudyakov, 2005, p. 137-139; Gorbunov,2005). 2005, p. 214]. In the subsequent period of the Middle Ages, iron helmets of various designs were used by warriors of many nomadic state ... Read more