How to Make a Roman Gladiator Helmet, from Scratch

How does a flat sheet of bronze transform into a helmet fit for a Gladiator from 2000 years ago? Watch as Michael Neilson, a replication specialist at the British Museum, transforms a flat sheet of bronze into a Roman gladiator helmet. This reconstruction of the Hawkedon Helmet - the only known gladiator helmet ever found in Britain - includes various techniques that would have been available to ancient Roman metalworkers. 00:00 Shaping the bronze sheet 01:19 Annealing of metal 03:19 Prototyping the brow bar 03:48 Creating a mould 04:54 Casting the brow bar 06:47 Trim of the visor 08:04 Making the eye guards 10:27 Tinning the bronze 13:50 Polishing 14:15 Making the rivet 15:26 The complete helmet Special thanks to The Crucible Foundry for their support on this project. You can see the original Hawkedon Helmet, along with the reconstructed face guard, at the British Museum Partnership Exhibition ‘Gladiators of Britain,’ on display at Grosvenor Museum, Chester, from 20 September, followed by Tullie, Carlisle from 7 February 2026. Find out more here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/gladiators