Ribchester Helmet

The Ribchester Helmet is a Roman Cavalryman’s ceremonial helmet, found as part of the Ribchester Hoard in 1796 CE.
It is now located in Room 49 of the British Museum, along with the Ribchester Hoard.

The Ribchester Helmet is one of only three Roman Ceremonial Helmets with a face covering found in Britannia.
These Helmets were used in cavalry tournaments known as ‘Hippika Gymnasia’.
It is considered to be the second greatest Roman Artefact to be found in Britain after the Vindolanda Tablets.

The Ribchester Hoard is a collection of metal artefacts, which included the Ribchester Helmet, found in 1796 CE in Ribchester, Lancashire.
The collection dates from the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd century CE.
The items were buried in a hollow 10 feet (3m) below the surface, and thought to have been stored originally in a wooden box. The artefacts probably all belonged to the same cavalryman.
Other artefacts in the Hoard were a bust of Minerva, several paterae (drinking bowls), pieces of a vase, pieces of two basins, several plates and other items.

Ribchester was a Roman fort called Bremetennacum in Britannia, which was occupied by a Sarmatian Cavalry unit, which guarded the crossing on the Roman road over the river Ribble.
Iter X of the Antonine Itinerary shows that a Roman road ran south from Ribchester to Manchester (Mamumcium) where it connected with the York to Chester road.