Gladiator's helmet

Roman Britain, 1st century AD
From Hawkedon, Suffolk

This heavy bronze helmet originally had a tinned surface, giving it a shiny silver appearance. The wearer's face would have been encased in an intricate hinged mask with eye-guards, similar to helmets that have been found in Pompeii. The nearest place that gladiators are likely to have fought was Colchester, the leading town of the province in the first century AD, and just 20 miles away from where this was found.

E. Köhne and C. Ewigleben (eds.), Gladiators and Caesars: the po (London, The British Museum Press, 2000)