Sutton Hoo Helmet
by Ancient Celtic (Unknown), 625
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 625
- Medium
- Iron, copper alloy, silver, gold, garnet
- Size
- 31.8 cm (12.5 in) tall
Cite or Embed This Work
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Celtic The Sutton Hoo helmet is an Anglo-Saxon work from around 625 CE, discovered in a buried ship at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk in 1939. Made of iron with copper alloy, silver, gold, and garnets, it protected the head of a warrior king. Bronze eyebrows, nose, and mustache form a face mask, while a dragon's head caps the nose guard.
This helmet almost certainly belonged to Raedwald, King of East Anglia, one of the most powerful rulers in early medieval England. The ship burial contained treasures from across Europe and the Byzantine world, rewriting our understanding of the "Dark Ages." The original was badly crushed and corroded. What visitors see at the British Museum is a reconstruction based on painstaking analysis of over 500 fragments.
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About Sutton Hoo Helmet
The helmet almost certainly belonged to King Raedwald of East Anglia, who died around 625 CE. He was one of the most powerful English kings of his era and briefly overlord of all southern England.
The helmet features bronze eyebrows, nose, and mustache forming a face mask. A dragon runs along the crest, its head meeting another dragon's head at the nose. The effect is both protective and terrifying.
The helmet was badly crushed and corroded when found. The British Museum display is a reconstruction based on over 500 original fragments. The reconstruction took years of detective work.
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