Coppergate Helmet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coppergate Helmet |
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The Coppergate Helmet
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| Material | Iron, brass containing 85% copper |
| Created | 8th century |
| Discovered | 1982 York, North Yorkshire |
| Present location | Yorkshire Museum |
| Registration | YORCM : CA665 |
The Coppergate Helmet, also known as the York Helmet, is a very old helmet from the 700s. It was made by the Anglo-Saxons and found in York, England. In May 1982, workers found it during digs for the Jorvik Viking Centre. It was at the bottom of a pit, which people think might have been an old well.
This helmet is one of only six Anglo-Saxon helmets known to still exist today. It is also the best preserved one! It looks similar to other helmets found in places like Wollaston, Benty Grange, and Sutton Hoo. These helmets are called "crested helmets" and were popular in England and Scandinavia from the 500s to the 1000s. Today, you can see the Coppergate Helmet at the Yorkshire Museum.
Contents
What Does the Coppergate Helmet Look Like?
How the Helmet Was Built
The Coppergate Helmet is quite complex. It has a main skull cap, two cheek guards, and a neck guard made of mail (small metal rings). The main part of the helmet is made of iron, with shiny brass edges and decorations.
The skull cap has eight iron pieces. A band goes around the forehead, and another band goes from the nose to the back of the neck, forming the nose guard. Two more bands connect the sides of the forehead band to the top of the nose-to-nape band. Four triangular plates fill the gaps between these bands. All these pieces are held together with rivets.
Brass edging was used to decorate the helmet and hold some parts together. There's a plain brass strip around the front, covering the edges of the nose guard and eye-holes. Other brass strips are found near the cheek guards and at the back of the helmet. The back strip was used to hang the mail neck guard.
The two cheek guards are made of iron and curve inwards. They are attached to the helmet with hinges, allowing them to move. The neck guard is made of many small metal rings linked together. What's special about this mail is that the links were forge-welded, meaning they were heated and hammered together, which was less common than using rivets.
Cool Decorations on the Helmet
The helmet has two low crests made of brass. One runs from the front to the back, and the other goes from side to side, making a cross shape when you look down on it. These brass bands have a special message written in Latin:
IN NOMINE : DNI : NOSTRI : IHV : SCS : SPS : DI : ET : OMNIBVS : DECEMVS : AMEN: OSHERE : XPI
This means: "In the name of our Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God; and to all we say Amen / Oshere / Christ"
Another way to read it suggests:
"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Spirit of God, let us offer up Oshere to All Saints. Amen."
Oshere was a male Anglian name. "XPI" are the first three letters of the Greek word for Christ.
The brass crest ends with a decorative animal head at the bottom of the nose guard. The brass decorations above the eyes also end in animal heads. The nose guard itself has two animals twisted together, with their bodies and limbs forming a cool, swirling pattern.
How the Helmet Was Discovered
The Coppergate Helmet was found on May 12, 1982, during an archaeological dig in York. The York Archaeological Trust was working on the site to prepare for building the Jorvik Viking Centre.
Around 2:40 pm, an excavator (a large digging machine) hit something. The foreman thought it was a stone, but when he wiped away the dust, he saw a golden band—it was the top of the helmet! He quickly called the archaeologists.
They found the helmet in a pit lined with wood. This pit was likely an old well. The helmet had to be removed quickly to stop it from rusting after being exposed to air for over 1,000 years. By 8:30 pm, it was safely packed away.
The helmet is the best-preserved Anglo-Saxon helmet we have, even though the digging machine damaged it a bit. The machine hit the back of the helmet, breaking some parts. The front plate also came loose, and a side band was bent. This shows how powerful the machine was!
Why Was the Helmet Hidden?
The pit where the helmet was found was probably a well. The helmet seemed to have been hidden on purpose, perhaps so its owner could come back for it later. The left cheek piece and the mail neck guard were carefully removed and placed inside the helmet before it was put upside down in the pit.
York was a very unstable place in the 700s and 800s. The Vikings invaded York in 866. Before that, many kings of Northumbria (the kingdom York was in) were murdered, killed in battle, or forced out of power. Because of these dangerous times, the helmet's owner might have hidden it in the well, hoping to get it back when things were safer. But they never did.
Taking Care of the Helmet (Conservation)
After it was found, the helmet was put in a special airtight box filled with nitrogen gas. This was to stop it from rusting and to protect any old organic materials (like leather) that might have been inside. The nitrogen kept oxygen away, which is needed for rust to form.
Later, the helmet was carefully cleaned. Workers used brushes and scalpels to remove layers of rust, being careful not to damage the original surface. Some areas needed a special "micro-abrasive blasting" to remove heavy rust. The mail (metal rings) was also cleaned, and broken rings were fixed.
Fixing the Helmet (Restoration)
In 1983, the helmet was sent to the British Museum for restoration. Their job was to fix the damage caused by the digging machine, put loose pieces back together, and fill in missing areas. They also needed to create a special stand for it to be displayed.
The bent parts of the helmet were carefully reshaped using special tools. Small broken pieces were soldered back on. Missing pieces, especially from the decorative inscription band, were recreated with new brass. These new parts were made a bit differently so people could tell them apart from the original pieces.
A new strip was made for the missing part of the mail neck guard, and damaged rings were supported. The mail was then reattached to the helmet. Any big gaps in the helmet were filled with a special paste and copper mesh, then colored to match the helmet's original look. Finally, the helmet was cleaned, waxed, and placed on a special display stand. The restoration was finished in February 1984.
Where You Can See the Helmet Today
The Coppergate Helmet is a permanent part of the Yorkshire Museum collection. It has been shown in many exhibitions since it was found.
- When the Yorkshire Museum was closed for renovations in 2009–2010, the helmet was displayed at the British Museum.
- When the Yorkshire Museum reopened in 2010, it was a star in the "Medieval York: The Power and the Glory" exhibition.
- From 2012–2013, it was part of an exhibition celebrating 800 years since York received its Royal charter.
- In 2017, the helmet was displayed at the Jorvik Viking Centre.
- From 2017, it traveled as part of a touring exhibition called "Viking: Rediscover the Legend," visiting places like Southport, Aberdeen, and Norwich.
- The helmet returned to the Yorkshire Museum in September 2019, where you can usually see it today.
See also
- Nasal helmet
- Viking Age arms and armour
Images for kids
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Coppergate helmet, dexter profile view
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The nasal of the helmet showing decoration composed of two interlaced beasts
