Benty Grange helmet

The Benty Grange helmet is an archaeological artefact excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from an Anglo-Saxon tumulus (or barrow) at the Benty Grange Farm in the civil parish of Monyash in the English county of Derbyshire.

The remains and a reconstruction are in Sheffield's Weston Park Museum.

This helmet is of the Spangenhelm type and like the Pioneer helmet is boar-crested. The surviving iron bands would have supported plates of horn (decayed in antiquity) held in place with small silver rivets[1] and the nasal of the helmet is decorated with a silver cross.

Boar Crest

This helm is crested with an iron boar with bronze eyes inset with garnet, this sits upon an elliptical copper-alloy plate. The hips of the boar are made with pear shaped plates of gilded silver.[2] The 1986 reconstruction, based on conservation work carried out at the British Museum has boar bristles running along the back.[3]

In Norse mythology, the boar talisman was associated with Freyja's role as battle goddess, helmets with boar-crests are described in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.

References

  1. ^ Bateman, T (1861). Ten Years' Digging in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills, in the counties of Derby, Stafford, and York, from 1848 to 1858; with notices of some former discoveries, hitherto unpublished, and remarks on the crania and pottery from the mounds. London: John Russell Smith. http://books.google.com/books?id=oopBAAAAYAAJ&dq=Ten%20Years'%20Digging%20in%20Celtic%20and%20Saxon%20Grave%20Hills%2C%20in%20the%20counties%20of%20Derby%2C%20Stafford%2C%20and%20York%2C%20from%201848%20to%201858&pg=RA1-PA30#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
  2. ^ Bruce-Mitford, R; Luscombe, M R (1974). Aspects of Anglo-Saxon archaeology. Sutton Hoo and other discoveries. London: Victor Gollancz Limited. pp. 223–252. ISBN 057501704X. 
  3. ^ "Museums Sheffield". http://www.idigsheffield.org.uk/object.asp?ref=J93_1189. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 

External links