Meyrick helmet

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Meyrick helmet

The Meyrick helmet ( English Meyrick Helmet ), which is shown in the British Museum in London , is a bronze helmet from the Iron Age with a repoussoir decoration in the La Tène style .

The helmet is considered a Celtic version of a Roman auxiliary helmet that combines the Roman shape with a La Tène style decor . It has the shape of a conical cap with a tip protector. It consists of a single piece of sheet bronze. On the sides there are holes for attaching a chin strap or cheek pieces and at the top of the helmet there is a hole for attaching a spring sleeve. Two lines are cut on the edge of the helmet, which could represent the Roman number "II".

It is one of three Iron Age helmets discovered in Britain . The other two are the Waterloo helmet and the Canterbury helmet , discovered in 2012 , a Coolus type helmet . In contrast to the Waterloo helmet, which has two conical horns, the Meyrick helmet is hornless and appears to correspond to a Roman model. John Vincent Stanley Megaw (born 1934), suspected that the helmet belonged to a British auxiliary corps of the Roman army during the campaigns against the brigands in the years 71-74 AD.

The origin of the helmet is unknown. For stylistic reasons, it is believed that it originated in northern England, the area that was controlled by the brigands . The helmet was first recorded as part of the collection of Samuel Rush Meyrick (1783–1848) and must have been found before 1848. It may have come from the Stanwick Hoard excavated by Mortimer Wheeler (1890-1976) near Stanwick Fort in North Yorkshire between 1843 and 1845 . After Meyrick's death, the helmet with other items, such as the Witham shield , was given to his cousin, Augustus Meyrick (1826-1902), who sold them between 1869 and 1872. The helmet was bought by Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-1897), a wealthy antiquarian who worked for the British Museum. Franks donated it to the museum in 1872. The inventory number 1872, 1213.2 was assigned to the helmet.

See also

literature

  • Ruth and Vincent Megaw: Celtic Art , Thames and Hudson, 1989, ISBN 0500050503

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The British Museum: helmet ( Memento of December 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), (English, accessed April 10, 2019)