The Gjermundbu helmet is a

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

. The helmet was discovered during field clearing in 1943 at the Gjermundbu farm near

Haugsbygd Haugsbygd (formerly known as ''Vangsbygd'' and ''Vangsfjerdingen'') is a village in Ringerike municipality, northeast of the center of Hønefoss, in Buskerud, Norway. Location The village is known for its billowing landscape and is located a ...

in the municipality of Ringerike in

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Ha ...

, Norway. Officials at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

were later notified. Conservator Sverre Marstrander and museum assistant Charlotte Blindheim led an investigation which confirmed the existence of a burial chamber of historic value dating from the

Viking era The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the ...

. The Gjermundbu finds (''Gjermundbu-funnet'') contained many artifacts including articles of weaponry. The Gjermundbu helmet was found in nine fragments and was subsequently restored. The helmet was made of iron and was in the shape of a peaked cap made from four plates. It is now on display at the Museum of Cultural History of the

. Together with the

Tjele helmet fragment The Tjele helmet fragment is a Viking Age fragment of iron and bronze, originally comprising the eyebrows and noseguard of a helmet. It was discovered in 1850 with a large assortment of smith's tools in Denmark, and though the find was sent to t ...

, two fragments from

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to ...

, and one fragment from

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, it is the only known Viking helmet capable of reconstruction.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * 1943 archaeological discoveries Germanic archaeological artifacts Viking warfare Individual helmets {{europe-archaeology-stub

See also

References

Bibliography