| Meyrick Helmet | |
|---|---|
 In the British Museum | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Created | Iron Age, 1st century AD |
| Place | Northern Britain (?) |
| Present location | Room 50,British Museum, London |
| Registration | 1872,1213.2 |
TheMeyrick Helmet is anIron Age bronze peaked helmet, withLa Tène style decoration, that is held at theBritish Museum in London.[1] It is one of only four Iron Age helmets to have been discovered inBritain, the other three being the more famousWaterloo Helmet, theCanterbury Helmet and theNorth Bersted Warrior helmet. Unlike theWaterloo 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 theUniversity of Leicester, has conjectured that the helmet may have belonged to a Britishauxiliary fighting in the Roman army during the campaigns against theBrigantes in AD 71–74.[2]
The provenance of the helmet is unknown, but on stylistic grounds it is thought likely that it comes from the north of England, in the area of Britain controlled by theBrigantes tribe.[2][3][4] The helmet is first recorded as part of the collection of arms and armour accumulated by SirSamuel Rush Meyrick (1783–1848), and so must have been discovered some time before 1848. It is possible that the helmet came from the Stanwick Hoard of about 140 bronze objects that was found some time between 1843 and 1845 nearStanwick Camp inNorth Yorkshire, which may have been theoppidum of theBrigantes.[5] After Meyrick's death the helmet and other items of Iron Age armour, such as theWitham Shield, were left to his cousin, Lt. Colonel Augustus Meyrick, who disposed of them between 1869 and 1872.[6] The helmet was purchased byAugustus Franks, an independently wealthy antiquarian who worked for the British Museum. Franks donated the helmet to the British Museum in 1872.[5]
The helmet is considered to be aCeltic version of a Romanauxiliary helmet, combining a Roman shape withLa Tène style decoration.[2] It is in the shape of a conical cap with a peaked neck guard. It is made from a single sheet of bronze, possibly spun finished, and hasrepoussé decoration in the La Tène style, similar to that found on theWaterloo Helmet, on the neck guard and on the fragmentary side pieces. On the neck guard are two flat domed bosses with criss-cross grooves which would originally have held red glassenamel studs. There are holes on either side for attachment to a chin-strap or cheekpiece, and a hole at the top of the helmet for the attachment of aplumed top-knot. On the outer margin of the helmet are incised two strokes which could represent the Roman number "II".[2]
