Archaeologists Unearth First of Its Kind ‘Roman Helmet’ Fragments From Denmark, Believe It Was Deposited by a Leader

Archeologists spotted a valuable collection of historical artifacts in Denmark. The discovery was made in a site called Løsning Søndermark, located just northwest of the town of Hedensted, Smithsonian Magazine stated. The most noteworthy of these findings had a Roman connection. Researchers believe the stash was put in place by a powerful leader. As per examinations, they were stored at the site some 1,500 years ago. 

How the collection was found indicated that they were remnants of a sacrifice. It was buried underneath the ruins of two houses. Experts think that one house was dismantled and the weapons were buried in its earthen cavity, while the other was being built. They speculate that the other house could have been of a chieftain, and hence the sacrifice. 

In the collection, archeologists found pieces of a Roman helmet. The finding is special because it is the first Roman helmet to be excavated from the country. The iron plates were spotted a few months into the excavation. Researchers concluded that the plates were part of a Roman helmet through X-ray imaging. They claimed that the palm-sized pieces acted as a neck guard and cheek guard. Experts further believe that they were components of a crest helmet, a special kind of head guard that was used in the Roman Empire around the fourth century. Researchers claimed that the helmet dates back to Denmark’s Late Iron Age. This fact makes the discovery stand apart as no such artifact from that period has been uncovered by archaeologists.

The region was never a part of the Roman empire, therefore the spotting of a Roman helmet at the site seemed a little out of place to archaeologists. However, instances of Roman generals like Julius Caesar mentioning Germanic warriors in historical records made experts think that weapons and equipment such as helmets could have been supplied to Danish tribes.  “The helmet may have belonged to a Germanic warlord who served in the Roman auxiliaries, bringing his equipment home after his service ended,” said excavation leader Elias Witte Thomasen, an archaeologist at the Vejle Museums. “Alternatively, it could have been looted from a Roman legionary in battles closer to the empire’s Germanic frontier and later brought to Jutland.”

The fact that the pieces of Roman helmet were spotted by experts, aligned with what experts knew about how military equipment was treated during that time. “The answer lies in the nature of post-battle rituals during this period of the Iron Age, where weapons and military equipment were rarely deposited intact,” Thomasen said. “Spearheads were separated from their shafts, sword blades from their hilts, and equipment was destroyed and divided among the parties involved in the conflict. The missing cheek plate and helmet bowl were likely distributed elsewhere.”

The excavation was conducted by officials from the Cultural Museum in Vejle, who were surveying the region in preparation for the construction of a motorway. “From the very first surveys, we knew this was going to be extraordinary, but the excavation has exceeded all our expectations,” Thomasen said. “The sheer number of weapons is astonishing, but what fascinates me most is the glimpse they provide into the societal structure and daily life of the Iron Age. We suddenly feel very close to the people who lived here 1,500 years ago.” Along with the helmet archeologists unearthed around 100 artifacts which included chainmail, spears, lances, and, two stiff bronze necklaces.