Iron, though originally plated with a layer of silver foil. Although that covering the helmet surface has been completely removed, there remains some beneath the crest comb, as shown by an X-ray. The helmet is heavily restored; although the left half was intact, the right half has had to be supported. The two halves of the helmet skull do not meet directly - there is a gap of approx. 12mm. They are joined by means of the crest/helmet comb.
The comb has a width of ca. 33mm and is hollow in the central section, which is 15mm wide and ca. 9mm high. From X-ray pictures it is clear that the comb has many small holes in the top surface that would originally have had small silver balls as a decorative feature.
The bowl of the helmet is reinforced at the base by an iron strip, about 22mm wide. This strip also has a raised central section and has been pierced by holes to retain the decoration.
The neck guard carries two slits either side, about 17mm apart. The lower slits carried buckles (strengthened by means of cotter pins). Leather straps hung down from the inside of the helmet and were used to attach the neck guard via the buckles. This allowed a flexible protection to the neck area that did not hinder movement. The edges of the neck guard were pierced with small holes, which were used to attach the leather lining.
The cheek guards have an elevated edge. Like the neck guard, there is a row of holes, ca. 13-20mm apart, around the edge by which means the leather lining was attached. They were secured under the chin by means of a lace that passed through a pair of rings at the lower edges of the cheek guards. There are no remaining hinges to show how the cheek guards were secured. It is surmised that they were attached to the helmet bowl by a similar method used for the neck guard.
The traces of rich ornamentation remaining suggest that this helmet was not owned by an 'ordinary' infantry soldier, but by one who may have belonged to an elite guard unit.
References:
Southern, P. & Dixon, K.R. (2000, Pbk), "The Late Roman Army", (Batsford), 94-5, Pls.1 & 2
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