The Making of the Staffordshire Hoard Helmet Reconstruction

Research reveals approximately a third of the fragments in the Staffordshire Hoard come from a very high-status helmet. Helmets of its kind are rare – the Staffordshire Hoard helmet is one of a very small number to be found from this period. Two reconstructions of the helmet have been created. This video shows how the replica helmet has been made.

The reconstructions were created by a team of specialist makers. The School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University (BCU) led on the fabrication of the precious metal elements of the helmet. Laser scanning of the original objects was used to ensure the replica pieces are as close to the surviving original parts as possible. Other specialists, including Royal Oak Armoury, Gallybagger Leather, Drakon Heritage and Conservation and metalsmith Samantha Chilton, worked collaboratively to bring the helmet to life, advised by the archaeologists. Steel, leather and horsehair elements were created, as well as the wood and paste, that scientific analysis of the original has revealed were used in its construction.

The replica helmet is on public display at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

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