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New discoveries emerge from 2,000 year old Hallaton Helmet!
Posted on 22/12/10
Community Services
New discoveries emerge from 2,000 year old Hallaton Helmet!
Painstaking work on an ornate Roman cavalry parade helmet found at Hallaton, Leicestershire is revealing intriguing images that have been hidden for 2,000 years. The helmet is also giving archaeologists a fascinating insight into how these prestige objects were made.
The Hallaton Helmet was excavated by University of Leicester Archaeological Services and members of the Hallaton Fieldwork Group along with over 5,000 Iron Age and Roman coins, thousands of pig bones, a bronze tankard handle and mysterious and unique silver objects. These finds appear to have been ritual sacrifices at a Late Iron Age shrine belonging to the Corieltavi, the Celtic inhabitants of the East Midlands around 2,000 years ago. Many of these finds are on display at Harborough Museum, Market Harborough in an award-winning gallery. 20 of the coins can be viewed in a travelling exhibition which is currently on show at Fleckney Library.
The helmet was lifted from the site in a plaster of Paris block as it was too fragile to excavate on site. The block was taken to the British Museum where conservators Marilyn Hockey and Fleur Shearman have been excavating the extremely fragile remains and piecing them together for two and a half years. Another year of work will see the helmet stabilised and prepared for display at Harborough Museum alongside the other finds in 2012. In the meantime, visitors can view webcam footage of Marilyn and Fleur patiently working on the helmet, allowing them to appreciate the enormity of the task.
Conservation work has revealed that the helmet block contains the parts of at least one helmet comprising of an iron core covered with a very fine silver sheet which has intricate designs hammered onto it using a technique called repouss. The helmet consists of a bowl or casque which covers the head, a neck guard and two hinged cheek pieces to protect the side of the face. The best preserved cheek piece bears the image of a triumphant Emperor on horseback trampling a barbarian beneath his horses hooves.
Intriguingly, there are four more cheek pieces that the conservators did not expect to find. Did Roman cavalry officers alternate cheek pieces depending on the day of the week and what design was suitable for the occasion? Or does the Hallaton helmet assemblage represent material from a helmet workshop containing spare cheek pieces in case of damage? At this stage we do not know! What we do know is that X-rays of the fragmentary cheek pieces have shown there are two matching cheek pieces featuring a man on horseback. A further design shows a bearded man with a helmet and shield beneath his feet are these the spoils of a battle?
New information regarding the structure of the helmet bowl has emerged recently as the conservators tackle the extremely delicate task of removing a layer of clay from the fine silver sheet coating. We now know that the helmet had a scalloped brow guard which protruded above the bowl and below this is a scene showing various animals. The brow guard is packed out with an as yet mystery substance this is vital and rare information which will inform us how Roman craftsmen created high quality armour and is potentially a national first.
The neck guard of the helmet features a scrolling leaf pattern. Marilyn and Fleur hope to be able to piece together the surviving fragments of the helmet bowl, brow guard and neck guard for the display in the Hallaton Treasure Gallery at Harborough Museum. The cheek pieces will also be pieced back together and will be shown alongside the other parts of the helmet. A high quality replica of the helmet will give visitors an idea of the stunning quality of the helmet and how it may have looked when it was worn by a high ranking Roman cavalry officer during the 1st century AD.
David Sprason, Leicestershire County Councils Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities said: This stunning find keeps on delivering more and more surprises. The fantastic work which the British Museums conservators are undertaking is incredible. To think that the images on the helmet cheek pieces revealed by X-rays have not been seen by anyone for 2,000 years is amazing. Ive no doubt that further unique discoveries and information will come to light during 2011. The Hallaton helmet will attract international interest and put Leicestershire on the archaeological map during the next few years.
How the helmet came to be buried on a Leicestershire hillside during the AD 40s or 50s is a mystery. One theory is that it was owned by a local Corieltavi man who had served as a Roman mercenary on the continent and then returned home. Another theory has it that it was given to the Corieltavi tribe as a diplomatic gift by invading Romans during the conquest of Britain.
For further details about the Treasure Project and Harborough Museum, see the following background details.
- To contact Harborough Museum phone (01858) 821085 or email harboroughmuseum@leics.gov.uk
- Please visit our website www.leics.gov.uk/harboroughmuseum
- www.facebook.com/HarboroughMuseum
- http://twitter.com/LeicsMuseums
- http://leicestershiremuseums.wordpress.com
Harborough Museum is operated in partnership by Leicestershire County Council, Harborough District Council and the Market Harborough Historical Society.
The Southeast Leicestershire Treasure is the archive of material produced by several stages of archaeological work undertaken by local community archaeologists and University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The site proved to be an internationally important ritual site dating mostly to the generations before and after the Roman Conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD.
The purpose of the project is purchase, conserve, interpret and promote the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure. The cost of the project is 933,872 which includes purchasing the finds, conserving the finds, displays at Harborough Museum and at Hallaton Museum, two touring exhibitions, web based resources, workshops for schools and community groups, and events for the public.
The project is supported by grants from The Heritage Lottery Fund of 650,600, 100,000 from The Art Fund, the UKs leading independent art charity, 35,000 from the Museums and Art Galleries Improvements Fund, 35,000 from the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, The Headley Trust, Renaissance East Midlands (http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/renaissance/regions/east_midlands) and local contributions from the Friends of Leicester and Leicestershire Museums, the Leicestershire Museums Archaeological Fieldwork Group and the County Council, as well as private individuals. The support of Harborough District Council is also gratefully acknowledged.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nations heritage for everyone to enjoy. Since its conception, HLF has supported 26,000 projects allocating over 4 billion across the UK.
The Art Fund is the UKs leading independent art charity. It offers grants to help UK museums and galleries enrich their collections; campaigns on behalf of museums and their visitors; and promotes the enjoyment of art. It is entirely funded from public donations and has 80,000 members. Since 1903 the charity has helped museums and galleries all over the UK secure 860,000 works of art for their collections. Recent achievements include: helping secure Titians Diana and Actaeon for the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London in February 2009 with a grant of 1 million; helping secure Anthony dOffays collection, ARTIST ROOMS, for Tate and National Galleries of Scotland in February 2008 with a grant of 1million; and running the Buy a Brushstroke public appeal which raised over 550,000 to keep Turners Blue Rigi watercolour in the UK. For more information contact the Press Office on 020 7225 4888 or visit www.artfund.org .
The Art Fund is a Registered Charity No. 209174
The MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund is a government fund, established at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in 1881 as part of its nationwide work. The annual grants budget, currently 900,000, is provided by the Museums, Libraries, Archives Council (MLA). The Fund supports the acquisition of objects relating to the arts, literature, and history by regional museums, record offices and specialist libraries in England and Wales. Each year it considers some 250 applications and awards grants to around100 organisations, enabling acquisitions of over 4million to go ahead.
Visit the website at www.vam.ac.uk/purchasegrantfund
The Headley Museums Archaeological Acquisition Fund has been established by the Headley Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Its trustees realise the great difficulties many regional and local museums find in raising the money to buy archaeological artefacts. They are also aware of the proliferation of finds as a consequence of the success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The Headley initiative is intended to help museums secure and display notable finds. The Headley Scheme runs alongside and in collaboration with the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. Visit the website at www.headley-archaeology.org.uk
Further details about the Treasure Project:
- For more information about Harborough Museum and the Southeast Leicestershire Treasure Project, please contact Helen Sharp, Project Officer, at Harborough Museum, on 01858 821087 or email helen.sharp@leics.gov.uk, or Zara Matthews, Keeper of Harborough Museum, also on 01858 821087 or email zara.matthews@leics.gov.uk
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