A team of researchers recreated copies of a Roman cavalry helmet – photo

Copies of a Roman cavalry officer’s helmet

Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society

A team of scientists has recreated two copies of a unique silver Roman cavalry helmet found by archaeologists in 2001 during the study of an Iron Age monument in the English county of Leicestershire.

One of them was printed on a 3D printer from plastic, the other was made by hand. Then they were silvered and gilded, writes Arkeo News.

In 2000, a British monument of the Iron Age was discovered near the village of Gallaton in Leicestershire (England). It was built around AD 43 as a ritual enclosure for the local Korieltawi tribe. There they held feasts and performed sacrifices.

In 2001, archaeologists excavated there and found many valuable artifacts: more than 5,500 British and Roman coins, jewelry, animal bones, and the helmet of a Roman cavalry officer.

It is noted that the helmet was made of iron and covered with a thin layer of silver and gilding. It also has beautiful patterns on the surface created using the repoussé technique, a method of working with metal that creates patterns and images on it.

The helmet has been in the mud for two millennia, as a result of which its shiny surface has been damaged by corrosion. Currently, its bowl looks a bit bumpy and brown in color.

The found fragments of the helmet were collected and restored by conservators. The helmet is currently 80% complete – some gaps have been filled to give it structural support.

The helmet depicts a wreath of leaves, symbolizing a military victory, as well as the bust of a woman surrounded by lions and rams.

Initially, the helmet had two pads on the sides, which were intended to protect the side of the face. They survive separately, but are too fragile to reattach to the helmet. They depict the Roman emperor on horseback, behind whom the goddess Victory is flying. Under the animal’s hooves is a defeated enemy.

How were copies of the helmet created?

The replicas were reproduced to show what the helmet might have looked like during the Roman occupation of Britain after AD 43.

First, scientists photographed the helmet in bright light, looking for patterns and shapes that could then be compared to other works of art from the mid-first century.

Next, 3D scans and images were created, which helped archaeologists recreate the parts of the helmet that did not survive.

With the help of modern technologies, scientists created a computer model of the helmet and image drawings, which were then converted into 3D models.

The 3D model of the helmet was printed on a 3D printer and then coated with gold and silver.

Another helmet was hand-made by archaeologist and copy-maker Francesco Galluccio, using techniques once used by Roman armorers.

One of the helmets is now on display in the Hallaton Museum and the other in the Harborough Museum in Market Harborough alongside the original.

We will remind, in Ukraine created 3D model of the caves of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.