Archaeology breakthrough: Viking helmet unearthed in discovery rewrites British history
ARCHAEOLOGISTS in the UK were stunned after confirming that a Fifties Viking helmet was the first to ever be found in Britain.
Kent: Archaeologists discover 3,000 year old bones
Researchers were astounded after new research confirmed that a discovery found 60 years ago was the first of its kind ever unearthed in Britain. Found in Yarm in Chapel Yard, Stockton-on-Tees by workmen digging trenches for new sewerage pipes, the corroded, damaged artefact is a rare, 10th century Anglo-Scandinavian helmet. Led by Dr Chris Caple, the project also found it is only the second near-complete Viking helmet found in the world.
It has been on display at Preston Park Museum since 2012.
The helmet's age has long been a point of fierce debate and contention.
Using evidence from recent archaeological discoveries, researchers were able to finally date the artefact.
Analysis of the metal and corrosion was also used to reveal its past.
Archaeology breakthrough: The helmet is the first of its kind to be found in the UK (Image: Durham University)
Vikings: The Scandinavian warriors first made their way to Britain in the 8th century (Image: Durham University)
Dr Caple, Emeritus Reader at Durham University, said: "It was a challenging project, as the thin iron sheet is now very susceptible to corrosion (it has to be kept in very dry conditions), so it was not simply a question of only showing the date at which it was created, but working out how it had survived until it was unearthed in the Fifties.
"Our analysis showed that it was initially preserved in waterlogged conditions, only later becoming damaged and starting to corrode. Fortunately it was discovered before it corroded away completely.
"Although there are half a dozen early medieval helmets from Britain, the Sutton Hoo and Coppergate helmets being the most famous, this is the first Anglo-Scandinavian (Viking) helmet from Britain.
"The only other near-complete Viking helmet is from Gjermundbu in Norway."
JUST IN: Archaeology news: Earliest known art on British Isles found
Yarm helmet: The artefact is thought to date from the 10th century (Image: Durham University)
The iron helmet is made of bands and plates, riveted together, with a knot at the top.
A protective guard encases the nose with a "spectacle" guard around the eyes - forming a mask-like drop down from the helmet itself.
The design of the piece suggests inspiration from the earlier Vendel Period helmets.
Many have floated the idea that the helmet may once have accommodated a mail curtain or "aventail".
DON'T MISS
Death Valley: Mystery of '200-year-old sailing stones' solved [REPORT]
Archaeology: 5,000-year-old crushed skulls discovered [INSIGHT]
Archaeology: Discovery of mysterious 'sea monster' shipwreck [ANALYSIS]
Invaders: Although invaders the Vikings left parts of their culture in Britain after they left (Image: GETTY)
Lindisfarne: Christians survived the attack on St Cuthbert and wrote about it on the Domesday Stone (Image: GETTY)
An eventual is a flexible curtain of mail attached to the skull of a helmet that extends to cover the throat, neck and shoulders.
It is thought that because of the rugged workmanship put into the helmet, it would have been intended for use rather than display.
This fits with its suggested date of being Anglo-Scandinavian.
The way in which the helmet protects the entirety of the head and face is indicative of the way in which battle had changed by the era.
Archaeology discoveries: Some of the groundbreaking archaeological discoveries on record (Image: Express Newspapers)
As seen in the famous Bayeux Tapestry, by the 11th century armies were larger and used tactics such as shield walls with archers raining arrows down.
This differs from the individual combat of an earlier period where the use of armour would not have been necessary.
The circumference of the helmet is similar to that of other early medieval helmets and would have been worn over a padded cap around 16mm thick.
Viking ship: The Gokstad ship, a 9th-century Viking ship, being found in Norway (Image: GETTY)
The metal is 1-2mm thick and would absorb the impact from a weapon.
No evidence exists to suggest the helmet was decorated to show the signs of having a particularly important owner.
Initially buried in waterlogged conditions, researchers have questioned whether it was deliberately hidden and then not retrieved because, perhaps, something happened to the owner.