This visor was originally attached to a Roman helmet
and was found at Worthing in 1950 when the river Wensum
was being dredged. Visor masks were used on Roman helmets
to protect the face of the soldier and could be decorated
with a variety of designs.
This helmet visor was made from gilding metal, a thin
brass sheet that had been gilded, in a similar way to
the cavalry helmet also found at Worthing. Like the Worthing
helmet this visor appears to have been from a parade
or ‘sports’ helmet used for display rather
than battle. Interestingly, this visor was from a different
helmet to our example from Worthing.
The decoration on the visor shows a figure of the god Mars
holding a shield on the right side and the goddess Victoria (Victory) holding a victory wreath on the left cheek. Both were particularly
appropriate for a soldier to wear on their battle gear.
Donated to Norwich Castle by Mrs Rosa Rivett |
