Helmet Discovery - C. W. Phillips'
Account
Helmet discovery-C. W. Phillips' Account
Friday July 28 1939 . The crushed remains of an iron helmet were found four feet east of the shield boss on the north side of the central deposit. The remains consisted of many fragments of iron covered with embossed ornament of an interlace type with which were also associated gold leaf, textiles. an anthropomorphic face-piece consisting of a nose, mouth, and moustache cast as a whole (bronze), and bronze zoomorphic mountings and enrichment.Saturday July 29. A few more fragments of the iron helmet came to light and were boxed with the rest found the day before.
Tuesday August 1. The day was spent in clearing out the excavated stern part of the ship and preparing it for study. Before this a final glean and sift in the burial area had produced a few fragments which are probably to be associated with the helmet and chain mail respectively.(Bruce-Mitford 1978:138)
General Discussion
The helmet remains consisted of a reasonably widely scattered collection of small corroded iron fragments. Some parts of the helmet were in a better state of preservation, particularly the cast bronze nose, mouth with moustache, the gilt-bronze animal heads and the eyebrows which were immediately recognisable. When the chamber finally collapsed on the already oxidised iron, it shattered the helmet rather than crushing it. The clean fractures allowed it to be reconstructed to its original shape more easily than if it had been crushed. Unfortunately much of the helmet is still missing so the reconstruction is based on careful examination of the surviving pieces and analysis of similar East Scandinavian helmets from the same time period.The Reconstruction
Surviving fragments
The helmet was originally, thought unsatisfactorily, reconstructed in 1947. However, in 1970, the helmet was taken apart and reconstructed a second time. The final result was significantly different from the first attempt and made use of extra helmet pieces from the reserve collection including a third gilded dragon head. A workshop was attached to the Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities at the British Museum for the study of the Sutton Hoo material.
Original fragments were only included where they could reasonably be demonstrated to belong either by their curvature, design or shape.
1970 Reconstruction
Design Description
The helmet was made of sheet iron and consisted of several separate elements. Joined to a hemispherical cap were two cheek pieces, a face mask and a neck guard. The outer surfaces of the helmet were decorated with sheets of tinned bronze foil each stamped with one of five different designs. These can be identified as:
 | Design 1: | Scene of dancing warriors |
 | Design 2: | Scene of rider and fallen warrior |
| Design 3: | Reconstructon of this design is impossible due to its poor preservation | |
 | Design 4: | Large zoomorphic interlace 5cm X 3.3cm |
 | Design 5: | Small zoomorphic interlace 5cm X 1.3cm |
Design detail
The Crest
The curvature of the cap of the helmet was determined by both the reconstruction of the fragments and by the crest. Almost the entire length of the crest could be reconstructed with perfect joins. It consisted of a 3mm thick iron tube measuring approximately 28.5cm long with a semicircular cross-section. Each end of the crest terminated in gilt-bronze dragon heads featuring garnet eyes similar to the winged dragon on the shield. It is decorated with silver wire inlay in chevron and scale patterns.
Helmet Lining
While none of the original lining survives, it seems likely that the helmet was fitted with a lining of some description. Bruce-Mitford suggests that a leather lining is the most likely though he admits that the assumption is not supported by any concrete evidence. The assumption is drawn from the black, bubbling corrosion found covering the inside of the helmet which was probably the result of direct contact with some organic material. He further suggests that the cheek-pieces were probably tied under the chin with linen tapes, sewn into the leather lining.Six different textile impressions have been found on helmet fragments but all but one were found on external surfaces indicating either wrapping cloth or other textiles or clothing with which the helmet had come into contact. The only impression from the inside of the helmet one edge of the neckguard is of a fabric considered unsuitable as a lining material. Other than this, there are no textile impressions associated with the interior of the helmet. (Bruce-Mitford 1978:140-146 and 179-181)
Tower Armouries replica
The Face Mask
The face mask is 12cm in length and attaches to the helmet cap in three places with rivets. The eyebrow pieces were riveted to the tang of the nose piece as well as to the cap on the outer edges. The nose section is constructed in high relief with a 'toothbrush' moustache and mouth. Although the face mask would have been clear of the wearer's face, the nose section is hollow with two openings like nostrils on the under side to assist breathing.The eyebrows were inlaid with silver wire and decorated with a line of square- cut garnets on the lower edge. The entire mask was covered in bronze sheeting decorated with design 5. Unlike the rest of the helmet the design panels were not separated by fluted strips but applied with great care to form a continuous pattern. U-shaped tubing was applied around the edges of the eye openings and riveted in place to both finish the edges and to hold the bronze foil in place.
When all the face mask elements are in place they form an image of a flying bird or dragon with the eyebrows forming the outstretched wings of the creature and terminating in a boars head design.
Helmet Construction
The helmet is similar in many ways to the Valsgarde and Vendel helmets of the sixth and seventh centuries and shows strong Swedish influences. The most significant difference between them, however lies in the method of construction. The cap of the Sutton Hoo helmet was forged from a single sheet of iron while the Swedish examples are either made in sections joined together or from interlaced iron strips. Evans suggests that this fact indicates that the Sutton Hoo helmet was constructed in England, not Sweden, but that it was either made by Swedish craftsmen working at the East Anglian court or that Swedish dies were used for the outer stamped design.In place of the solid face-mask, neckguard and ear-flaps the Valsgarde and Vendel helmets use a system of bronze visors, mail curtains and narrow strips of iron for protection as can be seen on the Vendel 5 helmet.
 | Homepage< /a> |  | Maps |
 | Burial Practices |  | Artefacts |
 | The Ship |  | Bibliograp hy |
 | Other Interesting Sites |  | Armoury and Weaponry |