The helmet was made from Anglo-Saxon gold discovered by a metal detector enthusiast. Credit: PA:Press Association

The helmet was made from Anglo-Saxon gold discovered by a metal detector enthusiast. Credit: PA:Press Association

The helmet fragments were discovered among a £3.3m hoard in Hammerwich, Staffordshire

AN ANGLO-SAXON helmet painstakingly reconstructed by experts from 4,000 pieces goes on display for the first time today.

Fragments of the golden headpiece, believed to have been worn by a general on the battlefields of Britain 1,300 years ago, were among a 3.3m hoard uncovered by an amateur metal detectorist in Hammerwich, Staffordshire in 2009.

The 1,300-year-old general’s helmet will go on display in Birmingham and Stoke-on-TrentCredit: PA:Press Association

The invaluable helmet had been smashed into 4,000 fragments – presumably as the result of a fierce and bloody battle.

Now two incredible replicas will go on display to the public after an 18-month project after experts felt it would be impossible to reconstruct it using the original pieces.

One replica will go on permanent display at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the other at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.

The details were crafted by experts using state-of-the-art technology. Credit: PA: Press Association
The details were crafted by experts using state-of-the-art technology. Credit: PA:Press Association
The helmet was made from Anglo-Saxon gold discovered by a metal detector enthusiast. Credit: PA:Press Association
The helmet was made from Anglo-Saxon gold discovered by a metal detector enthusiast. Credit: PA: Press Association

Weighing in at three kilograms each, the helmets are made out of steel, leather, gold, and silver-plated bronze and copper.

An expert from Birmingham Museums Trust said that one of the helmets was “violently torn apart before burial”.

It took 18 months to recreate. Credit: PA:Press Association
It took 18 months to recreate. Credit: PA:Press Association
One of the ear pieces shows the exquisite detail of the recreation. Credit: PA:Press Association
One of the earpieces shows the exquisite detail of the recreation. Credit: PA: Press Association
The Anglo-Saxons came over from Europe. Credit: Alamy
The Anglo-Saxons came over from Europe. Credit: Alamy

The Anglo-Saxons were made up of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

They inhabited England – which they called Angle-land – from around AD410 to 1066, after the Romans soldiers left in 410.

As well as being craftsmen and farmers, the Anglo-Saxons were also fierce warriors and would fight to the death to defend their territory.

The Anglo-Saxons ruled Britain from 500 years when they were conquered by the Normans, who invaded from Northern France.

The helmet was made from gold valued at just over £3 million. Credit: Getty – Contributor

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

  • They were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
  • The three biggest were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The land they settled in was ‘Angle-land’, or England.
  • The Anglo-Saxons were migrants from northern Europe who settled in Britain in the 5th century after the Romans had left.
  • They spoke in ‘Old English’, and many could read and write. The Anglo-Saxons were great craftsmen, making swords, tools, furniture, jewellery and ornaments.

The helmets were transformed using cutting-edge technology and ancient craft techniques and will go on display with other items found in the 2009 hoard.

A spokeswoman from Birmingham Museums Trust said substantial remains of just five other Anglo-Saxon helmets exist, along with fragments of a handful more – making them very rare.

“The quality, style and decoration of the Staffordshire Hoard helmet make it fit for a king, but we cannot be sure who it belonged to,” she said.

“The original helmet was thoroughly, even violently, torn apart before burial, possibly more than was necessary to dismantle it for functional reasons.”

Source: The Sun