Lamellar helmet plate from the collection of the Museum of Local Lore in Magadan

The article presents the results of the analysis of an iron plate from the Magadan Regional Museum of Local Lore. The find is part of the burial inventory of a Koryak cremation site on the Kukvayam River (left tributary of the Paren River). We provide the main dimensions of the plate and describe its morphology and design specifics. The plate is dated to the mid-18th - early 19th century, the period comprises the early widespread use of iron among the population of the extreme Northeast of Asia in the armor production until withdrawal of such helmets from use as a means ofprotection. The parallels of iron and antler items attributed to the Koryak, Chukchi and possibly Itelmen Cultures and deposited in museums of Northeast Asia and the Far East. It has been established that the plate is part of the crown of a narrow-plate lamellar helmet that was most commonly used by Chukchi and Koryaks. The ‘stamped’ stiffening rib characteristic of Central Asian object is noteworthy. The data on the distribution of lamellar helmets among the peoples ofAsia are analyzed; it suggests that narrow-plate helmets are most typical of the Xianbei and Jurchens, as well as the medieval population of the Amur region. The plate shape and design of similar helmets are analyzed and compared with the details of helmets found in the Korsakov cemetery of the 6th-9th centuries. On this basis, it has been inferred on the possible links between the lamellar helmets of the extreme northeast of Asia and the Jurchen pieces in antiquity, when the Koryak, Chukchi, and Tungus armor was dominated by bone objects, while the appearance of iron lamellar helmets is associated with the spread of Russian iron. The derived data require a more detailed analysis, based on further study of the shape of the plates, determination of the main trends in their development and comparison with historical data.