Witcham Gravel helmet

Last updated

Witcham Gravel helmet
Roman helmet.jpg
Witcham Gravel helmet
Material Iron, tin, copper alloy
Createdc. 50–75 AD
Discoveredc. 1870s
Witcham Gravel, Cambridgeshire
Present location British Museum
Registration 1891,1117.1

The Witcham Gravel helmet is a Roman auxiliary cavalry helmet from the first century AD. [1] Only the decorative copper alloy casing remains; an iron core originally fit under the casing, but has now corroded away. [2] The cap, neck guard, and cheek guards were originally tinned, giving the appearance of a silver helmet encircled by a gold band. [3] The helmet's distinctive feature is the presence of three hollow bosses, out of an original six, that decorate the exterior. [4] No other Roman helmet is known to have such a feature. [5] They may be a decorative embellishment influenced by Etruscan helmets from the sixth century BC, [6] which had similar, lead-filled bosses, that would have deflected blades. [7] [8]

Contents

The helmet was discovered during peat digging in the parish of Witcham Gravel, Cambridgeshire, perhaps during the 1870s. [9] [1] It was said to have been found "at a depth of about four feet", [10] although the exact findspot within Witcham Gravel is unknown; at the time, the parish comprised about 389 acres. [11] The helmet was first published in 1877, when, owned by Thomas Maylin Vipan, it was exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries of London. [9] When Vipan died in 1891, the British Museum purchased it from his estate. [12] It remains in the museum's collection, and as of 2021 is on view in Room 49. [13]

Description

The helmet primarily comprises eight components: a skull cap, a brow piece, an occiput, a neck guard, two raised ear protectors, and two cheek guards, of which one remains. [2] The surviving pieces are made of copper alloy; [2] the cap, neck guard, and cheek guards were tinned, creating the appearance of a gold band surrounding a silver helmet. [3] Originally, they were attached to an iron core by two rivets on either side, six along the neck guard, and one split pin at front and at back, but the iron now remains only as corrosion at the apex of the helmet. [2]

The surviving pieces of the helmet are almost entirely decorative, and would have imparted very little protection by themselves. [14] They are made of thin metal, proving an easy medium for repoussé work. [14] Four semicircular designs were made with repoussé punch marks, two each on the brow piece and the occiput. [14] Lines of repoussé work were also punched across the join between the neck guard and occiput, [15] and at the top of the occiput and brow piece. The unique feature of the helmet, not known on any other Roman helmet, is the presence of three hollow bosses on the neck guard. [4] These were both soldered and riveted on; the riveting would have also helped hold the copper alloy components to the iron core. [16] Circular remnants suggest that other bosses were placed above each ear, and over the split pin at the front. [17] Five small bosses were likewise riveted to the ornate cheek guards, already featuring repoussage depicting naturalistic ears. [18] None of these bosses survive, although their impressions remain. [19] A linear mark above the dexter brow indicates that the helmet sustained a blow, but it is unknown whether this occurred before deposition, or during the turf digging that led to the helmet's discovery. [2]

The helmet would have also had a crest. [20] Markings at the apex of the skull cap indicate the former presence of a crest box, 20.5 centimetres (8.1 in) long by 2.3 centimetres (0.91 in) wide, joined by six rivets: two each at the front, centre, and back. [21] The box would have been made of organic materials such as wood filled with horsehair, and has since decayed. [16]

Discovery

Approximate findspot of the helmet, alongside the New Bedford River Witcham Gravel (geograph 5380892).jpg
Approximate findspot of the helmet, alongside the New Bedford River

The helmet was discovered, perhaps in the 1870s, during peat digging in Witcham Gravel. [22] The exact place where it was found is unclear; an 1877 report in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London stated that it had been found "at a depth of about four feet [1.2 m] in digging turf, in the parish of Witcham, Cambridgeshire". [10] Witcham Gravel was at the time a parish of about 389 acres (157 ha), a significant amount of which was covered by fens. [11]

By 1877, the helmet was in the possession of Thomas Maylin Vipan, [2] who at various times served as the alderman of the Isle of Ely County Council and the Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. [23] On 17 May, it was exhibited to the Society of Antiquaries by its director, Augustus Wollaston Franks. [2] [9] [24] The Proceedings state that he "promised a more extended communication on a future occasion", [9] although this never came to pass. [2]

From 3 to 16 June 1880, Vipan loaned the helmet to the Royal Archaeological Institute, which exhibited it in a two-week-long "Exhibition of Helmets and Mail". [2] [25] Franks, the exhibition catalogue stated, "is inclined to think that this helmet belonged to some mercenary in the Roman pay towards the end of the Roman occupation of Britain". [26] Reporting on the exhibition, The Antiquary suggested that the helmet was one of "the most interesting" helmets on display, [27] while The Academy termed it "a Roman helmet of great interest", and suggested that the unusual design had been made in Italy. [28]

Display

Thomas Vipan died on 23 August 1891. [2] [23] That November, the British Museum bought the helmet from the Rollin & Feuardent auction house, who sold it on instructions from Vipan's estate. [2] The helmet has remained in the museum's collection since then. [29] [2]

In 1993, the helmet was displayed at the Abbaye de Daoloas (fr) by Quimper in France, where it was part of the exhibition "Rome face aux Barbes" from 18 June to 26 September. [13] The helmet was part of a British Museum exhibition—"Nero: The Man Behind the Myth"—from 27 May to 24 October 2021. [30] [13] [31] The following year, from 22 January to 26 June 2022, it was displayed at the Ely Museum in Ely, Cambridgeshire, for the exhibition "Margins of Empire: Romans in the Fens". [13] [32] [33]

Typology

The bosses on the Witcham Gravel helmet recall similar features on Etruscan helmets from around the sixth century BC. Bronze helmet MET DP251324.jpg
The bosses on the Witcham Gravel helmet recall similar features on Etruscan helmets from around the sixth century BC.

The helmet was likely produced around the third quarter of the first century AD, based on the size and steep angle of the neck guard. [2] It is broadly classified as an auxiliary cavalry helmet—type B, according to the typology put forward by H. Russell Robinson. [34] It is the sole surviving example of type B helmets; though similar to type A helmets, which are hemispherical, with recesses for the ears and small neck-flanges extending from the occiput, it has a larger, sloping neck guard. [34]

Although the bosses on the helmet have no known Roman parallel, their origin may trace to Etruscan helmets from around the sixth century BC. [6] Examples from near the Picenum region of the Adriatic coast—and now found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, [8] the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, [7] and the British Museum [35] —have similar bosses. [6] These examples are filled with lead, which would have helped deflect blades; [7] [8] the bosses on the Witcham Gravel helmet are hollow, by contrast, suggesting a decorative function. [36]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Hoo</span> Archaeological site in Suffolk, England

Sutton Hoo is the site of two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries dating from the 6th to 7th centuries near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. Archaeologists have been excavating the area since 1938, when an undisturbed ship burial containing a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts was discovered. The site is important in establishing the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia as well as illuminating the Anglo-Saxons during a period which lacks historical documentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1877 in archaeology</span> Overview of the events of 1877 in archaeology

Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1877.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benty Grange helmet</span> 7th-century boar-crested Anglo-Saxon helmet

The Benty Grange helmet is an Anglo-Saxon boar-crested helmet from the seventh century AD. It was excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from a tumulus at the Benty Grange farm in Monyash in western Derbyshire. The grave had probably been looted by the time of Bateman's excavation, but still contained other high-status objects suggestive of a richly furnished burial, such as the fragmentary remains of a hanging bowl. The helmet is displayed at Sheffield's Weston Park Museum, which purchased it from Bateman's estate in 1893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coolus helmet</span> Type of ancient Celtic and Roman helmet

The Coolus helmet was a type of ancient Celtic and Roman helmet popular in the 1st century BCE. It was typically made in bronze or brass and, like the Montefortino type with which it co-existed, was a descendant of Celtic helmet types. The explanation of the choice to use bronze can be attributed to the type of warfare that the helmet was used for; also the cultural affinities have influence on why the helmet was made the way that it was. Within a long process of evolution, Roman military armor for the head developed from early pre-Roman helmets. Rome itself had no proper tradition of such objects, as most of the soldiers of the Early Republic made use of helmets produced by the Etruscans, whose craftsmen were known for their ability to make vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coppergate Helmet</span> 8th-century Anglo-Saxon helmet

The Coppergate Helmet is an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon helmet found in York, England. It was discovered in May 1982 during excavations for the Jorvik Viking Centre at the bottom of a pit that is thought to have once been a well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Hoo helmet</span> Decorated Anglo-Saxon helmet

The Sutton Hoo helmet is a decorated Anglo-Saxon helmet found during a 1939 excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial. It was buried around the years c. 620–625 AD and is widely associated with an Anglo-Saxon leader, King Rædwald of East Anglia; its elaborate decoration may have given it a secondary function akin to a crown. The helmet was both a functional piece of armour and a decorative piece of metalwork. An iconic object from an archaeological find hailed as the "British Tutankhamen", it has become a symbol of the Early Middle Ages, "of Archaeology in general", and of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ormside bowl</span> Anglo-Saxon bowl found in a burial in Ormside, Cumbria

The Ormside Bowl is an Anglo-Saxon double-bowl in gilded silver and bronze, with glass, perhaps Northumbrian, dating from the mid-8th century which was found in 1823, possibly buried next to a Viking warrior in Great Ormside, Cumbria, though the circumstances of the find were not well recorded. If so, the bowl was probably looted from York by the warrior before being buried with him on his death. The bowl is one of the finest pieces of Anglo-Saxon silverwork found in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo Helmet</span> Celtic ceremonial helmet

The Waterloo Helmet is a pre-Roman Celtic bronze ceremonial horned helmet with repoussé decoration in the La Tène style, dating to circa 150–50 BC, that was found in 1868 in the River Thames by Waterloo Bridge in London, England. It is now on display at the British Museum in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meyrick Helmet</span> Iron Age archaeological discovery

The Meyrick Helmet is an Iron Age bronze peaked helmet, with La Tène style decoration, that is held at the British Museum in London. It is one of only four Iron Age helmets to have been discovered in Britain, the other three being the more famous Waterloo Helmet, the Canterbury Helmet and the North Bersted Warrior helmet. Unlike the Waterloo Helmet, which bears two cone-shaped horns, the Meyrick Helmet is hornless and appears to be based on a Roman model. Vincent Megaw, emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of Leicester, has conjectured that the helmet may have belonged to a British auxiliary fighting in the Roman army during the campaigns against the Brigantes in AD 71–74.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wandsworth Shield</span> Iron Age archaeological discovery found in London

The Wandsworth Shield is a circular bronze Iron Age shield boss or mount decorated in La Tène style which was found in the River Thames at Wandsworth in London sometime before 1849. Another incomplete bronze shield mount, sometimes called the Wandsworth Mask Shield was found at the same time. Both shield mounts are now held at the British Museum. The bold repoussé decoration on the Wandsworth Shield, comprising two birds with outstretched wings and long trailing tail feathers, has led Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford, to consider the shield to be "among the masterpieces of British Celtic art".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Helmet</span> Anglo-Saxon helmet from the late seventh century found in Wollaston, Northamptonshire

The Pioneer Helmet is an Anglo-Saxon boar-crested helmet from the late seventh century found in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. It was discovered during a March 1997 excavation before the land was to be mined for gravel and was part of the grave of a young man. Other objects in the grave, such as a hanging bowl and a pattern welded sword, suggest that it was the burial mound of a high-status warrior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guisborough Helmet</span> Roman cavalry bronze helmet found in 1864

The Guisborough Helmet is a Roman cavalry bronze helmet found in 1864 near Guisborough in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was originally fitted with a pair of protective cheek-pieces, which have not survived; the holes by which they were attached can be seen in front of the helmet's ear guards. It is lavishly decorated with incised, punched and embossed figures, indicating that it was probably used for displays or cavalry tournaments, though it may well have been intended to be worn in battle as well. The helmet was found in what appears to have been a carefully arranged deposition in a bed of gravel, distant from any known Roman sites. After it was recovered during road works it was donated to the British Museum in London, where it was restored and is currently on display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nijmegen Helmet</span> Facial iron mask of a Roman horseman

The Nijmegen Helmet is a Roman cavalry sports helmet from the first or second century AD. It was found around 1915 in a gravel bed on the left bank of the Waal river, near the Dutch city of Nijmegen. The helmet would have been worn by the élite Roman cavalry. The head portion of the helmet is made of iron, while the mask and diadem are of bronze or brass. The helmet provides neck protection via a projecting rim overlaid with a thin bronze covering plated with silver. The diadem features two male and three female figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shorwell helmet</span> Anglo-Saxon helmet from the early to mid-sixth century AD found near Shorwell on the Isle of Wight

The Shorwell helmet is an Anglo-Saxon helmet from the early to mid-sixth century AD found near Shorwell on the Isle of Wight in southern England. It was one of the grave goods of a high-status Anglo-Saxon warrior, and was found with other objects such as a pattern-welded sword and hanging bowl. One of only six known Anglo-Saxon helmets, alongside those found at Benty Grange (1848), Sutton Hoo (1939), Coppergate (1982), Wollaston (1997), and Staffordshire (2009), it is the sole example to derive from the continental Frankish style rather than the contemporaneous Northern "crested helmets" used in England and Scandinavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agris Helmet</span> Ceremonial Celtic helmet from c. 350 BC

The Agris Helmet is a ceremonial Celtic helmet from c. 350 BC that was found in a cave near Agris, Charente, France, in 1981. It is a masterpiece of Celtic art, and would probably have been used for display rather than worn in battle. The helmet consists of an iron cap completely covered with bands of bronze. The bronze is in turn covered with unusually pure gold leaf, with embedded coral decorations attached using silver rivets. One of the cheek guards was also found and has similar materials and designs. The helmet is mostly decorated in early Celtic patterns but there are later Celtic motifs and signs of Etruscan or Greek influence. The quality of the gold indicates that the helmet may well have been made locally in the Atlantic region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Maryon</span> English sculptor, goldsmith, archaeologist, conservator, author, and authority on ancient metalwork

Herbert James Maryon was an English sculptor, conservator, goldsmith, archaeologist and authority on ancient metalwork. Maryon practiced and taught sculpture until retiring in 1939, then worked as a conservator with the British Museum from 1944 to 1961. He is best known for his work on the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, which led to his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Hartley (archaeologist)</span> Archaeologist and museum curator

Elizabeth Grayson Hartley, was an American archaeologist and curator. She spent most of her career as the Keeper of Archaeology at the Yorkshire Museum in York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guilden Morden boar</span> Anglo-Saxon copper alloy figure of a boar

The Guilden Morden boar is a sixth- or seventh-century Anglo-Saxon copper alloy figure of a boar that may have once served as the crest of a helmet. It was found around 1864 or 1865 in a grave in Guilden Morden, a village in the eastern English county of Cambridgeshire. There the boar attended a skeleton with other objects, including a small earthenware bead with an incised pattern, although the boar is all that now remains. Herbert George Fordham, whose father originally discovered the boar, donated it to the British Museum in 1904; as of 2018 it was on view in room 41.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emesa helmet</span> Archaeological artifact

The Emesa helmet is a Roman cavalry helmet from the early first century AD. It consists of an iron head piece and face mask, the latter of which is covered in a sheet of silver and presents the individualised portrait of a face, likely its owner. Decorations, some of which are gilded, adorn the head piece. Confiscated by Syrian police soon after looters discovered it amidst a complex of tombs in the modern-day city of Homs in 1936, eventually the helmet was restored thoroughly at the British Museum, and is now in the collection of the National Museum of Damascus. It has been exhibited internationally, although as of 2017, due to the Syrian civil war, the more valuable items owned by the National Museum are hidden in underground storage.

Leslie Elizabeth Webster, is an English retired museum curator and art historian of Anglo-Saxon and Viking art. She worked from 1964 until 2007 at the British Museum, rising to Keeper, where she curated several major exhibitions, and published many works, on the Anglo-Saxons and Early Middle Ages.

References

  1. 1 2 Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 79.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 69.
  3. 1 2 Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 75.
  4. 1 2 Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 69, 71, 75.
  5. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 69, 75.
  6. 1 2 3 Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 75, 81.
  7. 1 2 3 Penn Museum helmet.
  8. 1 2 3 Metropolitan Museum helmet.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Society of Antiquaries 1877, pp. 230–231.
  10. 1 2 Society of Antiquaries 1877, p. 231.
  11. 1 2 Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 75–76.
  12. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 76.
  13. 1 2 3 4 British Museum helmet.
  14. 1 2 3 Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 70.
  15. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 72.
  16. 1 2 Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 71.
  17. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 69–70, 75.
  18. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 72–73.
  19. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, p. 73.
  20. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 81.
  21. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 71, 74.
  22. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 69, 79.
  23. 1 2 Cambridge Chronicle 1891.
  24. ↑ The Athenæum 1877.
  25. ↑ The Archaeological Journal 1880, pp. 455, 463–464.
  26. ↑ The Archaeological Journal 1880, p. 464.
  27. ↑ The Antiquary 1880, p. 83.
  28. ↑ The Academy 1880.
  29. ↑ Cook 1903, p. 729.
  30. ↑ Opper 2021, pp. 112–113.
  31. ↑ British Museum Nero.
  32. ↑ Ely Museum notice 2022.
  33. ↑ Ely Museum Margins 2022.
  34. 1 2 Robinson 1975, pp. 89, 94–94.
  35. ↑ British Museum Etruscan helmet.
  36. ↑ Kaminski & Sim 2014, pp. 69, 71, 74–75, 81.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.