A gold olive wreath made in Ancient Greece during the 4th century BC is valued at $250,000-350,000 ahead of a sale at Christie's.

It will be one of the highlights of an antiquities auction in New York on October 25, which will focus on pieces from the ancient civilisations of Greece, Egypt and Italy.

Gold olive wreathes were originally presented as trophies to Olympic champions

Olive wreathes were originally presented to champions of the Olympic Games, but came to take on additional significance - often as tributes to the dead.

The leaves on this example are extremely delicate and appear to have been melted at the front, suggesting they may have been placed on a funeral pyre.

A Corinthian bronze helmet from the 6th century BC is expected to make $180,000-220,000.

The helmet is recognised as the archetypal helmet of ancient Greece.

It was developed in the 7th century BC and remained in widespread use until the 1st century AD, when more open styles that impacted less on vision and hearing became more popular.

The present lot displays various improvements on the helmets of a century before.

For a start it's constructed from one sheet of bronze, meaning it's much tougher than earlier examples.

It also reduces the size of the eyeholes, enhancing protection but making it harder to see.

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