Скачать или смотреть How to Make a Roman Gladiator Helmet, from Scratch

How does a flat sheet of bronze transform into a helmet fit for a Gladiator from 2000 years ago?

Watch as Michael Neilson, a replication specialist at the British Museum, transforms a flat sheet of bronze into a Roman gladiator helmet. This reconstruction of the Hawkedon Helmet - the only known gladiator helmet ever found in Britain - includes various techniques that would have been available to ancient Roman metalworkers.

00:00 Shaping the bronze sheet
01:19 Annealing of metal
03:19 Prototyping the brow bar
03:48 Creating a mould
04:54 Casting the brow bar
06:47 Trim of the visor
08:04 Making the eye guards
10:27 Tinning the bronze
13:50 Polishing
14:15 Making the rivet
15:26 The complete helmet

Special thanks to The Crucible Foundry for their support on this project.

You can see the original Hawkedon Helmet, along with the reconstructed face guard, at the British Museum Partnership Exhibition ‘Gladiators of Britain,’ on display at Grosvenor Museum, Chester, from 20 September, followed by Tullie, Carlisle from 7 February 2026.
Find out more here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/gladiators