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)