At the end of the 1970s, a farmer discovered a cist grave near the village of Prodromi in Thesprotia. The village is located within the borders of the ancient kingdom of Epiros. Archeologists discovered the equipment of a warrior within the grave, an iron cuirass, two iron helmets, and an iron sword and sheath. Today, the find is exhibited in the Museum of Igoumenitsa.
One of the two helmets from the Prodromi grave is unique inside the archaeological evidence of ancient Greece. It is a mix of a Thracian, Phrygian, Boetian, and Attic type. The helmet was also plated with silver, which was achieved in the reconstruction using a modern method, since the historical method is highly poisonous.
The cuirass from the Prodromi grave was fitted with golden decorations. The way it is shaped indicates that it belonged to a cavalryman, because it allows the wearer to sit comfortably sit on horseback
The reconstructed cuirass was only smoothed by stroking it with a hammer after the forging, but not polished, which is why it retained the black iron look. We can't say if this would have been the case for the original, because of too heavy corrosion.
The sword from the Prodromi grave.
The iron sheath was covered in leather according to the publication of the find. For the reconstructed Kopis, we dyed the leather using rust. The belt was of course not part of the original find, which is why we based our reconstruction on the paintings in the tomb of Lyson-Kallikles.
