Posted on 01/11/2012 8:44:20 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Every school child used to learn how the British defended their land during the Roman Conquest.
But the discovery of a 2,000-year-old Roman helmet beneath a Leicestershire hillside suggests a different story. Rather than repel the invaders, some Britons fought in the Roman ranks.
The ornate helmet was awarded to high-ranking cavalry officers and was found at the burial site of a British tribal leader. According to experts, it transforms our understanding of the Roman Conquest...
The treasure, known as the Hallaton Helmet after the area where it was found, dates to around the time of the Roman invasion in AD43. A Roman goddess flanked by lions adorns the brow, while the cheek pieces feature a Roman emperor trampling a barbarian beneath his horse's hooves...
It was first unearthed in 2000 by Ken Wallace, a retired design and technology teacher who was out testing his £260 second-hand metal detector near his Leicestershire home...
The site yielded 5,500 coins -- the largest Iron Age hoard ever found in Britain -- and the helmet, which had been broken into nearly 1,000 pieces... The helmet was unveiled at the British Museum yesterday after a decade of restoration work paid for by a £650,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
The identity of the Briton commemorated at the burial site is unknown but the artefacts show that he was an important figure.
It is difficult to put a price on the helmet, but in 2010 a bronze Roman helmet with face mask was sold for £2.3 million at Christie's.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
They knew it was a gift because the price tag was still on the helment.
1) Boudicca
Right. After the battle of Isandlwana, Zulu warriors wore British uniform jackets and helmets as trophies.
Because that wouldn’t get them a grant for further research.
Thanks to all, this is a good discussion!
Okay, let’s see now - - - . We have the burial site of a “ - - - British tribal leader. - - - “ (or maybe a Roman who fought for that British Tribe?); we have 5,500 coins; - - -hmmmmmmmm, may we assume that some of the tribe were “merry men?”
If so then this could have been the very first Robin Hood! As Robin Hood #1 he would done what Robin Hood # 2 did: he have stolen from the Government, which were the Romans.
Who was the Sheriff of Nottingham back then?
Today in un-merry America then is no Robin Hood who steals from the government, but we do have our Sheriff of Nottingham! Yep! You guessed it, none other than Timmy Gee. Whatever money that you earn he thinks he owns it.
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