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"Extremely rare" 1500-year-old Roman helmet found in a chieftain's tomb in Denmark

Inna VasilyukNews
Two large fragments of a Roman helmet covered with rust. Source: Weill Museum

Archaeologists in Denmark have found a cache with more than 100 weapons: dozens of spears, swords, knives, and chainmail in the tomb of an Iron Age leader. However, the researchers' attention was drawn to a 1500-year-old Roman helmet.

Scientists note that this is an "extremely rare" find. After all, this is the only Roman helmet ever found in Denmark, which may have been a "donation" or offering, LiveScience writes.

Archaeologists found the cache during a highway expansion project. The metal weapon was lying under two early fifth-century houses that probably belonged to someone powerful enough to raise an army.

Since the weapons were deliberately buried during the demolition of the house, researchers believe they were sacrificed after success in the war. The cache of metal objects included 119 spears, eight swords, five knives, one axe, and a rare set of chainmail, the researchers describe.

According to archaeologists, very few examples of Iron Age chainmail have been found in southern Scandinavia. Making such complex armor was expensive and time-consuming, so, according to experts, it probably belonged to the chieftain himself.

A couple of months after the excavations began, researchers discovered fragments of an "extremely rare" Roman helmet. Despite the fact that it was very rusty, the scientists were able to use an X-ray image to see the neck plate and the decorated cheek plate.

According to archaeologists, these fragments come from a helmet with a crest that was often used in the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

"The helmet could have belonged to a German general who served in the Roman auxiliary forces. Or it could have been stolen from a Roman legionnaire in battles closer to the German border of the Empire," said Elias Witte Thomasen, an archaeologist from the Weil Museum who led the excavations.

In addition to the weapons, the experts found fragments of two bronze neck rings, which were symbols of power in the Iron Age, further attesting to the leader's influence. The team of scientists also unearthed fragments of a horse bridle and glass beads, as well as a number of iron and bronze objects that have yet to be examined.

Although the weapons cache was clearly associated with the house of an Iron Age chief, archaeologists are unsure whether the items belonged to local warriors or were collected as spoils of war.

The researchers will continue to analyze the site and the weapon sacrifices to better understand the warriors and society of the Iron Age.

Many of the artifacts found during these excavations will be exhibited at the Museum of Culture in Weil from February 8, archaeologists say.

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