Roman Helmet

 

 

York used to be the headquarters of the Roman army in the north. Five thousand soldiers might once have slept, eaten and trained there.

Archaeologists were excavating in the area where the soldiers' barracks once stood and found an interesting object lost in a drain or ditch.

Painting of how the whole helmet may have looked.
When conservators had cleaned it up, it turned out to be part of Roman soldier's helmet. It was the part which would have protected the cheek and ear when he was in battle.
Drawing of the piece of helmet. It had the Roman number 12, written as XII, scratched on it. Perhaps this showed the soldier which helmet was his.

The rest of the helmet was missing; perhaps it had been repaired and worn again by a Roman two thousand years ago.

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