Imagine a warrior on horseback bearing down on you, pennants flying from his bronze armour, and – strange and unsettling to behold – his face a mask of shining metal. Smoothly moulded, classically beautiful features glitter in yellow bronze, but the human eyes are hard to see through oval apertures.
That is the vision of the ancient Romans in Britain conjured up by a spectacular archaeological find. In May this year a metal detector enthusiast in Crosby Garrett, near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, discovered a buried bronze helmet, greened by time but otherwise in immaculate condition, that was once worn by a Roman soldier.
The haunting thing about this well-preserved and artistically outstanding piece of armour is that it has an exquisitely modelled bronze mask that completely covered the wearer's face. In place of his normal features, an icily heroic face of war.
Taking on a new, superhuman or bestial identity in battle is common to many cultures. Just as Aztec warriors dressed as eagles or jaguars and believed they were becoming fierce beasts, so the Roman soldier who wore this helmet transfigured himself. But archaeologists believe such helmets were worn by outstanding soldiers in cavalry parades and sporting events at camp – a bit like the ornate armour made specially for tournaments in the middle ages.
This is not the first such military treasure to be found in Britain. The most famous of all Roman masked helmets was discovered in the 18th century as part of the Ribchester hoard and is now a treasure of the British Museum.
But Cumbria deserves to keep its own treasure as a regional attraction. This was frontier territory, where Roman troops needed to be at peak condition to defend Hadrian's Wall. One of the most evocative collections of Roman artefacts in the country, including medical equipment and other insights into life on the Wall, is at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle. Now the museum is trying to raise £80,000 so it can unlock funding and purchase the helmet. It has received generous offers but needs more. The deadline is tomorrow. This helmet, which was only discovered in May, is to be auctioned at Christie's on Thursday.
In 1938, during the Great Depression, the Art Fund helped the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge buy a Renaissance helmet whose leonine visor is a deliberate imitation of the kind of Roman armour found this spring in Cumbria. It will be a mark of our times if this Roman treasure is allowed to leave the country or pass into private hands when it would be such a great asset for Cumbria – and Britain.
