That's awesome. When we found out we could film the helmet out of the case, Googling the hell out of it to work out what people couldn't see just online. Turns out it's most of. Thanks for noticing - and letting us know
@@britishmuseum This implies that there are some objects you ("you" meaning the TH-cam channel, not the Museum) can't film out of their cases, either due to conservation/fragility reasons or due to lack of some sort of permission. Is any of these the reason? In the second case, who has to grant permission for the object to be taken out of the cage? Also, possible future video: "Things we can't show you".
It's not a permission thing so much as a logistics thing. The Sutton Hoo helmet is incredibly popular (some people will visit the Museum from overseas specifically just to see it), so our policy is to never have it off display. This means we had to get it out of the case, film it and the episode and get it back on display in a single evening. It takes two expert object handlers to move it safely owing to how fragile it is (the lead object handler for this shoot has 20+ years experience) and then get it back in the case again safely in that time. Because it was after hours, it was an additional 5 hours added to their work day and Sue's day. It also takes a lot of planning to move the helmet, so it's not something we could really propose without a lot of work going into it first. Probably not the most interesting answer to your question, but it's the genuine one.
@@britishmuseum Thank you for answering. I don't think the answer is uninteresting, the fact that you need two experts to just move it from display really gives us another glimpse into the Museum logistics.
Yet she lies and calls a Judish Dane burial "Anglo Saxon". People complain about folks playing dress up, but Brits straight up steal culture. Show a little respect for the dead; don't just loot the grave and rebrand it.
Maybe She could have super hero powers when she wears the helmet on her head. Fight crime by dancing in a conga line around the villains.The name of the show could be called “Helmet or Mask” or something like that. Let’s hope so! It would make such a great movie ! Hopefully she could tell some jokes too! Great idea!
I had no idea the helmet was in fragments when they found it. Reminiscent of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they’re painstakingly putting it back together. Fascinating.
Hold my beer! The Shrine of the Book museum in Jerusalem has a complete/extant scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, many metres in length, inscrolled as the central organising feature. A complete book of the bible if you like. I understand it came from Qumran, a Dead Sea scroll if you like.
To be honest from experience in working museums that’s literally the reaction of every visitor ever 😂. Here’s this priceless, one of a kind object .... gotta touch it immediately!
@@zarahandrahilde9554 Depends on what else they are looking at, does it not? This is the first time I got a recommendation for the british museum, coming from an AoE 2 video. Not that I actually disagree.
@@kellynorman9270 NRK ( Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) just send a three part series about our forever king, Olaf the holy hosted by Kristofer Hivju aka Tormund Giantsbane. Man, that guy was a toucher. You could see that every time he got near something older than a 1000 years he had to battle himself to not touch the item in view. He lost many of them battles. It was almost comical and I just laughed a lot through the three episodes after being aware of that.
Thank you Dr. Brunning. Your presentation is not only informative and fascinating, it is also very well done. I don't know what it is with many of the current generation, but they simply cannot string two words much less two sentences without using "ah", "you know", "like", etc.
@@tbone2646i dont want anyone to harm my beautiful face. Sir i have just the item for you. A hig tech faceplate. But people wont be able too see my magnificent moustache! Say no more, a gilded moustache on the faceplate can bee arranged.
@Threehundredpages Pages take it easy, I love history.. I'm just having a giggle, not trying to hurt others. Don't know how things are for you, but life is grim where I am rn. So stay safe. 💝☯️♾🌻☮
It's one of the best museums, no joke. For me the highlight was Lindow Man, because I wrote a long paper about him and other bog bodies. But everything about the museum is awesome.
So, I just watched "The Dig" this morning. I do realize that this is a fiction worked around the history, however, it has led me here to your "Corner" so I am sure that you can grasp the value of such "liberties". (I did enjoy the movie and if you are a movie buff I recommend it.) Such a wonderful method of presenting the subject, Sue. I could feel the history, wonder, and even the fear brought to life through your refreshing energy for the piece. As someone who lives in the Piedmont of North Carolina, any finds of this age would be of Native American origin and would not be nearly as, well, ornate. Still interesting of course but this is incredible. Thank you for your work here. I can't wait to see some more of your vids.
She can make you fascinated about anything because she is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her artifacts! Enjoyed this so much! I wear helmets for a living, so this really spoke to me!
Oh my, she is a fantastic storyteller. I was like...yeah, I'll check this out for a few seconds. And 1 minute into almost 20 minutes later, Sue had me wrapped around her gloved finger. Nice work.
The way Sue gets excited about handling and seeing artefacts outside of a display case, reminds me why I love Archaeology and material culture. As well as the incredible work the British Museum and many other museums do.
The best thing about these is the passion of the curators, it's fascinating the symbolic connections people develop and the experiences that gives them.
Spectacular narration, production and all aspects involved in creating such a warm, friendly yet super informative presentation. Thanks for sharing. Cheers from Canada
She does an excellent job bringing Anglo-Saxon history to life. You can sense her enthusiasm and excitement for this particular object. I think I could listen to her for hours on end talking about history. What a smart and charismatic woman! I hope I'll get to see more videos with her soon...
"OH" says I, " a British Museum channel featuring a video on the Sutton Hoo helmet. I'm sure it'll be interesting and enlightening, if somewhat stuffy." Twelve minutes later; "I AM LIKE A DRAGON, I AM LIKE A SNAKE! CROSS ME AT YOUR PERIL." With flames, yet! Shutting my open mouth, I instantly click on SUBSCRIBE! Well done!
I live five minutes from the site. Often sit next to the river at the bottom of the hill where they'd have hauled the ship from, imagining the process. The place is magic as the sun comes up. I adore it there.
That possible reference to Wōden's one eye is doubly interesting given that the person buried at Sutton Hoo was virtually guaranteed to be an East Anglian King from the Wuffingas dynasty, who claimed descent from Wōden. Therefore, given the noticeably pagan nature of the burial, whoever originally wore the helmet almost certainly believed himself a descendant of Wōden.
I could listen to her discuss history endlessly. Lovely balance, very easy to listen to in the background while I burn through these spreadsheets at work.
@@JohnSmith-gs2rv Irving Finkle's generally aren't... But also, some of these items are in a million, billion teeny, tiny pieces. A box full of iron shards is not going to be as dramatic or interesting as a helmet.
I remember seeing that helmet in a history book over 20 years ago. The description was only two sentences but the helmet was so beautiful I never forgot it. Thank you for bringing back an old memory and explaining what I saw.
Sue's ideas about the senses changing inside the helmet, and the wearer imagining themselves into some kind of animal-robot-god on the battlefield, are compelling
I think anyone who has put on a recreation helmet and gotten into a scrap recognizes that sentiment! Saw a crazy Ukrainian dude in full plate charge a poor sod in Prague shouting "I AM IRON MAN!" so seems there's something to it :D
Makes me think of the pre-Christian ceremonies where someone put on the headdress or other trappings of a God and became that entity for the ritual. It's even more believable if the sense of self is altered by the helmet's acoustics. Fascinating idea. (Religious cosplay! lol)
I visited the British Museum a few years ago, and it was one of the great travel moments of my life. More than the Elgin Marbles, the treasures of Sutton Hoo was near the top of my list. Looking into the "eyes" of the helmet, you can't help but speculating about who once looked out from those enigmatic eye openings. I so wish this video had been available for viewing before my trip. But now I have even more reason to return! I adore the Curator's Corner features. All do an awesome job! Thank you!
As a blacksmith and a person of Scandinavian descent I'm always in awe of the Sutton Hoo find. The craftsmanship of these objects are breathtaking even with modern technologies it would still take a skilled artist a considerable amount of time to create just one of the spectacular pieces in the hoard. Thank you for sharing such an up close and in-depth look into this fine helmet
You mean the few fragments that are left? The gold and silver parts that did not rust away. Because the rest of it is just iron oxide and really bears little resemblance to the reconstructed helmet we are all shown.
@@earthstick No doubt an opinion based on your own study of archeology and the piece in question in particular. I'm a mere layman, sir, tell us your insights.
@@Semordnilaps An opinion based on observation. The helmet we are presented is politely called a reconstruction. It cannot be denied that there is barely anything left of the actual discovered helmet. Where else in archaeology do you find reconstruction being presented while the actual artefact is rarely exhibited? Of what benefit is the guesswork of a modern day artist?
@@Semordnilaps The insight we can derive from this is that the maker did not have either the resources, skill or inclination to make the entire helmet from a non-oxidising metal. Otherwise, they surely would have.
I live in Suffolk near Sutton Hoo and I've learned more about our most famous local legend in this 10 minute video than all the time I've lived here. Kudos!
Sue packs a lot into this short talk, in such a way that it does not seem over-loaded. The object itself (and the back story) takes precedence over production values - quite a contrast to many main-stream history programmes. Sue has no need to be anything other than herself . . .
As a former American football player, when I put on my helmet I was a different person. It was go time. I was deadly serious. All the joking stopped. So when you said the wearer of this helmet would have the same kind of thing a rush of emotions came over me. I remembered.
May I point out, that the motive of the warrior riding down his opponent and the spirit guiding the spear was found 1 on 1 in southwest Germany in an Alamanic woman’s grave on a golden disc. It is called the „Reiterscheibe von Pliezhausen“ (Rider‘s disc from Pliezhausen or simply Pliezhausen brooch) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliezhausen_brooch
Sue is all professional, excited with this relic, and adorable... The flames and metal were unexpected but well received! LOL. We all have an internal warrior somwhere.
The little guy on the back of the horse reminds me of Third Man Syndrome; the phenomenon where, during survival situations, some people seem to sense another presence with them even though they're alone. Warfare in this period would absolutely constitute a survival situation, as any combat is
It's amazing that the standard for "complete helmet" is 'a thousand piece jigsaw that takes a year to assemble.' Shows how truly fragile the works of humankind are.
More so shows how much conjecture is involved in reconstruction of these items. I work in a museum. It’s not like curators and academics know _nothing_ but there is a lot of hypothesis involved. They’ll rely on other archeological evidence from the same time period + written primary sources, secondary narratives, and so on. So it’ll never be 💯
This presentation was one of the best I have ever seen. The detail is described as it is, without assumptions or projecting opinions. It is refreshing to hear someone say "we don't really know" as scientists can only have an open mind to other possibilities. Thank you so much for this video.
Wonderful knowledge presented with assurance, no pedantry and a lovely woman who loves her job! I’m jealous of her accomplishment. Also the boar is predominant on my family’s arms. I saw in total awe the Sutton Hoo hoard at the British Museum in 1975, which makes me ancient as well!
I built a Sutton Hoo inspired sword about two years ago and the quality of the gold and garnet work on the original period pieces from both Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire hoard leave me absolutely gobsmacked. How they were ever able to work with garnet that small, and set them over the reflective gold micropattern baffles me.
Thank you so very much for this amazing talk and interesting information. It has made the Sutton Hoo story even more fascinating. I live in Australia and to see thing from the 6th century is wonderful. Our First Nations people go back 60000 years. History is incredible. Sincerely Christine.
I always watch the "Curators Corner" but this one was far and away the best The depth of the explanation together with the obvious joy of the presenter is wonderful to watch. Thank you so much for giving of your own time together with the anonymous camera operator it was really appreciated .
Boar have incredibly thick and tough skulls - their tusks are pretty much the only way to defend themselves - and if you need to thrust your head towards an attacker to get your your tusks into the fight, mother nature had better ensure your head can take some serious blows too. Spears or arrows simply can't penetrate them. Nobody in their right mind would try to kill a boar via its head......a very desirous attribute for a war helmet and worthy of artistic depiction to imbue such prowess to the wearer. Modern hunters with high velocity rifles avoid the head too, bullets can literally glance off - you end up with a temporarily stunned boar who wakes up very very angry - as you're stood close by imagining all the sausages you're going to have.....many a reckless hunter had their femoral artery fatally severed by a wounded boar.
With modern rifles, the best place to shoot a boar is in the head, specifically at the bottom of the earhole. Virtually no modern bullet, and certainly not one that any reasonable hunter would take boar hunting, is going to bounce off bone.
This is so wonderful. In the plethora of garbage and people beating one another to the lowest common denominator on social media, it is so refreshing to see people cherishing, preserving and valuing our past, and actually devoting their lives to something interesting. Bravo.
A joy to hear a British person of my age group speaking with genuine intelligence and authority on TH-cam. So different to most videos on TH-cam! The British Museum is one of my favourite places to visit in London and an institution we are privileged to have. Thank you both!
Thank you so much for this video, British Museum. I'm Australian, but of British heritage. It's great being able to learn my history even when I'm sitting on the other side of the world.
I'm certainly no expert, but perhaps the boar motifs have something to do with how extremely tough a boar's skull is? Boars will defend their tunnel homes by backing into the entrance and presenting their incredibly hard heads and pointy tusks. Also, Sue is a great presenter and I love her enthusiasm and the way she considers the personality and period context of each item. Thank you so much to Sue, the other curators, and to the entire staff of the British Museum for creating these videos.
Thank you Sue for bringing to life this ancient helmet. Your history lesson and your great tour around the entire helmet bringing into focus the fine artistry one might miss without your help. The side view of the snakes teeth and his opponent facing off is unbelievably scary when get get the closeup look. Thank you for taking the time to show us this amazing archeology! I, and I am sure many others are looking forward to you future educational documentaries. Keep up the great work on Time Team!
Man, this guy would have looked like a real BADASS in that helmet. Not to mention excellent protection for the head and neck! Excellent brake down, as always ^_^
Wow you got a listen from beginning, to and because this story just gets more, and more, and MORE interesting! That is absolutely nuts That historians sculptor man, had the voracious appetite to put together something so obscure/seemingly in penetrable absolutely blows me away that someone actually did this truly!
Here’s a fact no one asked for: my great grandad was the vicar of the parish where this was found, when it was found, and he got to see it being unearthed
I could listen to Sue talk about these subjects for hours and hours. The subject matter is fascinating, and her ability to convey her own interest and enthusiasm is captivating.
As a Swede, I feel pride and fascination of this amazing Viking helmet. Wonderful presentation by Sue. Thank you to British Museum for taking so well care of this object!
This artifact is news to me, but being Norwegian, I found myself thinking about Norse mythology as soon as I saw the thumbnail. The one-eyed effect does bring to mind Odin. I thought the small creature guiding the spear could be him too, as he is known to have a spear called gungnir which always strikes true. If the boar imbues defensiveness, the snake and dragon imbue aggression, perhaps the eye effect imbues wisdom, and the spear-assistant if odin imbues precison.
If I recall correctly two of the three "Germanic" tribes that displaced Britain's native population were Danish (the Jutes and the Angles), only the Saxons came from modern day Germany, so we're more descended from Scandinavians than Germans. Either way Odin - or Wodin as Germanic tribes called him - would still play a large part in our early history, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are named after Odin, Thor and Freya respectively. Also you might be Norwegian but your name means 'tiny office cubicle' in Welsh. I think.
@@krashd Depends where in England you are. Angles - East Anglia, Midlands and Northumberland to Firth of Forth. Saxons - south and west of the Angles (to Wales and Cornwall). Jutes - Kent and around Isle of White. There is no evidence to prove that the existing Britons were totally displaced.
@@YorkyOne True it's most likely that the Brition ruling elite with their followers were killed or driven to Wales and Cornwall, the majority of the common folk would have stayed and adopted Anglo-Saxon culture, Religion and Language.
Nope she definitely needs to have her own show talking about all these artifacts in a bikini or naked (since I'm dreaming anyway)!!! I think it would be an award winning show!!! Maybe go with a artifact recovery "dirty jobs" type show!!! Just my two cents
Ive seen a hundred photos and videos about this helmet, but never once got to see the rear or side view. This was super interesting.
That's awesome. When we found out we could film the helmet out of the case, Googling the hell out of it to work out what people couldn't see just online. Turns out it's most of. Thanks for noticing - and letting us know
@@britishmuseum This implies that there are some objects you ("you" meaning the TH-cam channel, not the Museum) can't film out of their cases, either due to conservation/fragility reasons or due to lack of some sort of permission. Is any of these the reason? In the second case, who has to grant permission for the object to be taken out of the cage?
Also, possible future video: "Things we can't show you".
It's not a permission thing so much as a logistics thing. The Sutton Hoo helmet is incredibly popular (some people will visit the Museum from overseas specifically just to see it), so our policy is to never have it off display. This means we had to get it out of the case, film it and the episode and get it back on display in a single evening. It takes two expert object handlers to move it safely owing to how fragile it is (the lead object handler for this shoot has 20+ years experience) and then get it back in the case again safely in that time. Because it was after hours, it was an additional 5 hours added to their work day and Sue's day. It also takes a lot of planning to move the helmet, so it's not something we could really propose without a lot of work going into it first. Probably not the most interesting answer to your question, but it's the genuine one.
Yup no idea there was another dragon/snakehead on the back, never seen that neckguard either.
@@britishmuseum Thank you for answering. I don't think the answer is uninteresting, the fact that you need two experts to just move it from display really gives us another glimpse into the Museum logistics.
There is nothing better than listening to an expert who's in love with what they curate
Or boring
@@BOOGiNS You must be glued to your phone watching tik tok "influencers" instead of learning something about past history.
Yet she lies and calls a Judish Dane burial "Anglo Saxon". People complain about folks playing dress up, but Brits straight up steal culture. Show a little respect for the dead; don't just loot the grave and rebrand it.
@@grep67 why are you making stuff up
What do a call expert of the Chor Bazzar?
This curator needs her own TV show. She’s great.
Maybe She could have super hero powers when she wears the helmet on her head. Fight crime by dancing in a conga line around the villains.The name of the show could be called “Helmet or Mask” or something like that. Let’s hope so! It would make such a great movie ! Hopefully she could tell some jokes too! Great idea!
She`s absolutely a gifted educater for these types of topics.
@Zulu Necker Dr
Watch the film "the dig" your see how corrupt the BM really are with this hoard
the problem is nobody watch tv these days, internet era is here
Shout out to the editor for throwing in the flames and metal music bit lol
Absolutely ambushed me that did, creased! :)
Yes to the kooky, cool levity!
@odeerg You have no clue what they would have liked. If they had been exposed to metal music they may have loved it!
@odeerg I bet you're a wild ride at parties.
@odeerg Pfff, please. These were warriors, they'd have decided the fate of kingdoms in duels of Metal Air Guitar! :P
I had no idea the helmet was in fragments when they found it. Reminiscent of the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they’re painstakingly putting it back together. Fascinating.
Hold my beer! The Shrine of the Book museum in Jerusalem has a complete/extant scroll of the Prophet Isaiah, many metres in length, inscrolled as the central organising feature. A complete book of the bible if you like. I understand it came from Qumran, a Dead Sea scroll if you like.
Curator: "This priceless,rare,most famous piece was jigsawed carefully back together...."
Internet: "......Put it on."
To be honest from experience in working museums that’s literally the reaction of every visitor ever 😂. Here’s this priceless, one of a kind object .... gotta touch it immediately!
I think it's interesting because usually it's more like this-
Woman on the internet: ....
Internet: ".... take it off."
@@greentag50 that part of the internet doesn't get historical museum videos recommended to their feed, i don't think :D
@@zarahandrahilde9554 Depends on what else they are looking at, does it not? This is the first time I got a recommendation for the british museum, coming from an AoE 2 video.
Not that I actually disagree.
@@kellynorman9270 NRK ( Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) just send a three part series about our forever king, Olaf the holy hosted by Kristofer Hivju aka Tormund Giantsbane. Man, that guy was a toucher. You could see that every time he got near something older than a 1000 years he had to battle himself to not touch the item in view. He lost many of them battles. It was almost comical and I just laughed a lot through the three episodes after being aware of that.
Dr Sue Brunnings "Curators Corners" are simply the best! Her fascination and love for her work is contagious!
Definitely
and she is hot.......
@@mudkatt2003 I was just about to post the same comment.
also helps that she's easy on the eye
You obviously haven't come across the one about Assyrian smugglers stuffing tin down their underpants.
Thank you Dr. Brunning. Your presentation is not only informative and fascinating, it is also very well done. I don't know what it is with many of the current generation, but they simply cannot string two words much less two sentences without using "ah", "you know", "like", etc.
“What do you want on your helmet.”
“I don’t know, something badass, like a dragon or a boar or a snake or something.”
“Say no more.”
I want a gilded mulletstache
@@tbone2646i dont want anyone to harm my beautiful face.
Sir i have just the item for you. A hig tech faceplate.
But people wont be able too see my magnificent moustache!
Say no more, a gilded moustache on the faceplate can bee arranged.
@Threehundredpages Pages this is Sutton _Where?_
@Threehundredpages Pages lol, I already am.
@Threehundredpages Pages take it easy, I love history.. I'm just having a giggle, not trying to hurt others. Don't know how things are for you, but life is grim where I am rn.
So stay safe. 💝☯️♾🌻☮
"Sue Takes On the Sutton Hoo" sounds like the title of a Dr. Seuss book
Sounds like a porn
Lmfao
@@ac1239844
I swear I read "Sue takes one up the poo"...
that's EXACTLY what i thought!!! 😉☺️
Hutton Sue takes on the Sutton Hoo
The British Museum is one of the best youtube channels, no joke
We love you too
Accurate.
Tru dat.
Although I also enjoy Penn and OI ....
It's one of the best museums, no joke.
For me the highlight was Lindow Man, because I wrote a long paper about him and other bog bodies. But everything about the museum is awesome.
Because they stole all the good stuff from countries they conquered
Mad respect for the person for putting the helmet pieces together
All the best to you and yours, Sue and the British Museum staff. Health and happiness from one of your Canadian cousins!
Cheers, we're all keeping safe, but miss being in the Museum 😓
@@britishmuseum it should be in Suffolk you cockney thieves
@@TheZumph - Ah, in the words of Micky Flanagan, " Stroll on double lively, treacle! Finders keepers, oi, oi!" :-)
@@TheZumph 😂😂😂😂
Nobody ever asks "Sutton How?".
Sutton Why don't they care?
@@britishmuseum I care! Every time I teach the Illerup Ådal finds I draw lines up through history to both Valsgårde and Sutton Hoo ;)
Sutton Where?
Sutton Whom?
Oh come on y'all. Don't be so Sutton silly. Sorry. I'll go home now.
Love Sue! Would really enjoy more of her Curator's Corner videos. More Sue please!!
She's wonderful isn't she? So intelligent and enthusiastic and pretty too. I fall for her a little bit more with every video.
Second that motion!
Yes please!!!
I’ve got a fever and the only cure is more sue..and more cowbell
So, I just watched "The Dig" this morning. I do realize that this is a fiction worked around the history, however, it has led me here to your "Corner" so I am sure that you can grasp the value of such "liberties". (I did enjoy the movie and if you are a movie buff I recommend it.)
Such a wonderful method of presenting the subject, Sue. I could feel the history, wonder, and even the fear brought to life through your refreshing energy for the piece. As someone who lives in the Piedmont of North Carolina, any finds of this age would be of Native American origin and would not be nearly as, well, ornate. Still interesting of course but this is incredible. Thank you for your work here. I can't wait to see some more of your vids.
This lady is a wonderful narrator and had me entirely spellbound for the whole video! I hope to see more from her over time.
Her energy, her commitment and enthusiastic voice makes me think this may be our Lucy Worsley Junior coming along. An enjoyable video. Thank you.
Sue's enthusiasm really brings this artifact to life. Thanks, was great to watch! When Corona ist over I need to give the BM a visit.
She can make you fascinated about anything because she is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her artifacts! Enjoyed this so much! I wear helmets for a living, so this really spoke to me!
Sue is an excellent presenter - her passion for the subject and her down to earth personality are perfectly balanced with her knowledge.
I agree - let's hope there's more in the pipeline!
Oh my, she is a fantastic storyteller.
I was like...yeah, I'll check this out for a few seconds.
And 1 minute into almost 20 minutes later, Sue had me wrapped around her gloved finger.
Nice work.
Same! Thought I'd watch a minute or two and I watched all 20. She's fantastic at what she does!
lol 😂
the original Sutton Sue
The way Sue gets excited about handling and seeing artefacts outside of a display case, reminds me why I love Archaeology and material culture. As well as the incredible work the British Museum and many other museums do.
This curator needs her own TV show. She’s great.. This curator needs her own TV show. She’s great..
You can say that again!
She isn't going to touch it quit simping.
@@JohnKobaRuddy This curator needs her own TV show. She’s great..
11:56 Sue is fucking metal.
I was busy shoveling food into my mouth when that happened, and I for real almost choked.
I burst out laughing then cheering
Curator of Tortured Souls.
Nah, the editor is ;)
I was listening with my headphones and that part was quite startling, I thought for sure Sue had become a spawn of hell.
There's something about a ship being buried under a earth mound that's just so cool!
The best thing about these is the passion of the curators, it's fascinating the symbolic connections people develop and the experiences that gives them.
Spectacular narration, production and all aspects involved in creating such a warm, friendly yet super informative presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers from Canada
One of the things I love about this series is that it allows access to history and knowledge anywhere in the world. You nurture LEARNING!!! Thank you!
She does an excellent job bringing Anglo-Saxon history to life. You can sense her enthusiasm and excitement for this particular object. I think I could listen to her for hours on end talking about history. What a smart and charismatic woman! I hope I'll get to see more videos with her soon...
"OH" says I, " a British Museum channel featuring a video on the Sutton Hoo helmet. I'm sure it'll be interesting and enlightening, if somewhat stuffy." Twelve minutes later; "I AM LIKE A DRAGON, I AM LIKE A SNAKE! CROSS ME AT YOUR PERIL." With flames, yet! Shutting my open mouth, I instantly click on SUBSCRIBE! Well done!
Great comment
Got me the same way!
I live five minutes from the site. Often sit next to the river at the bottom of the hill where they'd have hauled the ship from, imagining the process.
The place is magic as the sun comes up. I adore it there.
Really enjoyed her last two mini-lectures!
It is wonderful to see how excited you are to be face to face with such an iconic piece of our national history.
That possible reference to Wōden's one eye is doubly interesting given that the person buried at Sutton Hoo was virtually guaranteed to be an East Anglian King from the Wuffingas dynasty, who claimed descent from Wōden. Therefore, given the noticeably pagan nature of the burial, whoever originally wore the helmet almost certainly believed himself a descendant of Wōden.
fucking awsome !!!
I was about to comment the very same!
But did they also honour the same gods ?
Are the "horned" helmet men really references to Woden too with ravens on his shoulders?
I wonder if the little guy on the back of the horse holding the spear is an incarnation of gungnir
I could listen to her discuss history endlessly. Lovely balance, very easy to listen to in the background while I burn through these spreadsheets at work.
I'll say it again. This channel is criminally underrated.
@@JohnSmith-gs2rv Irving Finkle's generally aren't... But also, some of these items are in a million, billion teeny, tiny pieces. A box full of iron shards is not going to be as dramatic or interesting as a helmet.
@@JohnSmith-gs2rv Dick.
@@JohnSmith-gs2rv Sorry, my original post was in error:
You’re a know nothing and a dick.
I remember seeing that helmet in a history book over 20 years ago. The description was only two sentences but the helmet was so beautiful I never forgot it. Thank you for bringing back an old memory and explaining what I saw.
Sue's ideas about the senses changing inside the helmet, and the wearer imagining themselves into some kind of animal-robot-god on the battlefield, are compelling
Happens to me every time I put on my motorcycle helmet.
@@BayleyDon Do you become the ghost rider?
I think anyone who has put on a recreation helmet and gotten into a scrap recognizes that sentiment!
Saw a crazy Ukrainian dude in full plate charge a poor sod in Prague shouting "I AM IRON MAN!" so seems there's something to it :D
Makes me think of the pre-Christian ceremonies where someone put on the headdress or other trappings of a God and became that entity for the ritual. It's even more believable if the sense of self is altered by the helmet's acoustics. Fascinating idea. (Religious cosplay! lol)
@@BayleyDon I just become a hard of hearing person with a skull full of novacaine when I put on a motorcycle helmet.
Thank you, Sue.
A fascinating analysis told with warmth and infectious enthusiasm.
I visited the British Museum a few years ago, and it was one of the great travel moments of my life. More than the Elgin Marbles, the treasures of Sutton Hoo was near the top of my list. Looking into the "eyes" of the helmet, you can't help but speculating about who once looked out from those enigmatic eye openings. I so wish this video had been available for viewing before my trip. But now I have even more reason to return! I adore the Curator's Corner features. All do an awesome job! Thank you!
As a blacksmith and a person of Scandinavian descent I'm always in awe of the Sutton Hoo find.
The craftsmanship of these objects are breathtaking even with modern technologies it would still take a skilled artist a considerable amount of time to create just one of the spectacular pieces in the hoard.
Thank you for sharing such an up close and in-depth look into this fine helmet
As someone of Dutch descent I'm also in awe ;)
You mean the few fragments that are left? The gold and silver parts that did not rust away. Because the rest of it is just iron oxide and really bears little resemblance to the reconstructed helmet we are all shown.
@@earthstick No doubt an opinion based on your own study of archeology and the piece in question in particular. I'm a mere layman, sir, tell us your insights.
@@Semordnilaps An opinion based on observation. The helmet we are presented is politely called a reconstruction. It cannot be denied that there is barely anything left of the actual discovered helmet. Where else in archaeology do you find reconstruction being presented while the actual artefact is rarely exhibited? Of what benefit is the guesswork of a modern day artist?
@@Semordnilaps The insight we can derive from this is that the maker did not have either the resources, skill or inclination to make the entire helmet from a non-oxidising metal. Otherwise, they surely would have.
I live in Suffolk near Sutton Hoo and I've learned more about our most famous local legend in this 10 minute video than all the time I've lived here. Kudos!
Agree. I lived nearby and visited twice. I dont recall those details in the display.
Sue is so awesome, you can tell she knows an absurd amount of stuff and yet is so relatable. She is the master made human
@Legion ?
Sue packs a lot into this short talk, in such a way that it does not seem over-loaded. The object itself (and the back story) takes precedence over production values - quite a contrast to many main-stream history programmes. Sue has no need to be anything other than herself . . .
Very true and well said!
As a former American football player, when I put on my helmet I was a different person. It was go time. I was deadly serious. All the joking stopped. So when you said the wearer of this helmet would have the same kind of thing a rush of emotions came over me. I remembered.
This helmet adds a new dimension to that old saying, “put your game face on!”
Great comment. I agree
Minus the harsh reality of very possibly dying.
@@doug6500 making a fool of yourself in front of the whole school gives the same feeling as being dead. ;)
I can't believe there isn't a "Pepperidge Farm remembers" response here yet.
May I point out, that the motive of the warrior riding down his opponent and the spirit guiding the spear was found 1 on 1 in southwest Germany in an Alamanic woman’s grave on a golden disc. It is called the „Reiterscheibe von Pliezhausen“ (Rider‘s disc from Pliezhausen or simply Pliezhausen brooch)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliezhausen_brooch
Cool.
I clicked on the link fully expecting to get Rockrolled.
@@gebeme11 No rockrolling, no rickrolling.....maybe some rock´n´rolling, but not this time ;-)
Absolutely right!
The small figure guiding the spear of the mounted warrior probably represents Woden, like lots of other things on the helmet.
I could listen to this lady speak about her subject material ALL day, a genuine rollercoaster ride of fascination. Thanks Doc.
Sue is all professional, excited with this relic, and adorable... The flames and metal were unexpected but well received! LOL. We all have an internal warrior somwhere.
It is funny because if she met the person who wore this hat in real life he would probably rape her and then pillage her flat.
Sue's enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious. You have an additional subscriber! Very nicely done.
is there a Sue fan club? by far, my favorite presenter on this channel. Welcome back, Sue. WE MISSED YOU!
Simps4Sue
The little guy on the back of the horse reminds me of Third Man Syndrome; the phenomenon where, during survival situations, some people seem to sense another presence with them even though they're alone. Warfare in this period would absolutely constitute a survival situation, as any combat is
She's so passionate it makes you really intrested in the subject
Strikingly beautiful...and so is the helmut!
SUE NEEDS HER OWN SERIES ON THIS CHANNEL. LONGER VIDS PLEASE TOO
It's amazing that the standard for "complete helmet" is 'a thousand piece jigsaw that takes a year to assemble.' Shows how truly fragile the works of humankind are.
Lmfaoo it was buried under hundreds of thousands of pounds of earth very few things in existence wouldn't be crushed by that kind of weight
More so shows how much conjecture is involved in reconstruction of these items. I work in a museum. It’s not like curators and academics know _nothing_ but there is a lot of hypothesis involved. They’ll rely on other archeological evidence from the same time period + written primary sources, secondary narratives, and so on. So it’ll never be 💯
some assembly required
And even after all that jigsaw puzzle work, we only have half- or less than half- of the helmet, and it's still considered complete.
there’s 16% of the original helmet left. A lot of conjecture is involved
This presentation was one of the best I have ever seen. The detail is described as it is, without assumptions or projecting opinions. It is refreshing to hear someone say "we don't really know" as scientists can only have an open mind to other possibilities. Thank you so much for this video.
Sue is a wonderful presenter and this video is a delightful watch. Thanks!
Wonderful knowledge presented with assurance, no pedantry and a lovely woman who loves her job! I’m jealous of her accomplishment. Also the boar is predominant on my family’s arms. I saw in total awe the Sutton Hoo hoard at the British Museum in 1975, which makes me ancient as well!
I built a Sutton Hoo inspired sword about two years ago and the quality of the gold and garnet work on the original period pieces from both Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire hoard leave me absolutely gobsmacked. How they were ever able to work with garnet that small, and set them over the reflective gold micropattern baffles me.
The craftsmanship is absolutely stunning.
"I'm not saying that it was aliens..." XD
Thank you so very much for this amazing talk and interesting information. It has made the Sutton Hoo story even more fascinating. I live in Australia and to see thing from the 6th century is wonderful.
Our First Nations people go back 60000 years. History is incredible.
Sincerely
Christine.
11:57 was a nice touch
I always watch the "Curators Corner" but this one was far and away the best The depth of the explanation together with the obvious joy of the presenter is wonderful to watch. Thank you so much for giving of your own time together with the anonymous camera operator it was really appreciated .
Boar have incredibly thick and tough skulls - their tusks are pretty much the only way to defend themselves - and if you need to thrust your head towards an attacker to get your your tusks into the fight, mother nature had better ensure your head can take some serious blows too.
Spears or arrows simply can't penetrate them. Nobody in their right mind would try to kill a boar via its head......a very desirous attribute for a war helmet and worthy of artistic depiction to imbue such prowess to the wearer.
Modern hunters with high velocity rifles avoid the head too, bullets can literally glance off - you end up with a temporarily stunned boar who wakes up very very angry - as you're stood close by imagining all the sausages you're going to have.....many a reckless hunter had their femoral artery fatally severed by a wounded boar.
Hunted bush pigs in Australia on me travels, everything you say is correct, they're mini tanks.
With modern rifles, the best place to shoot a boar is in the head, specifically at the bottom of the earhole. Virtually no modern bullet, and certainly not one that any reasonable hunter would take boar hunting, is going to bounce off bone.
@@MrEvanfriend The Anglo Saxons had a strange dearth of boar guns.
@@b.f.2461 And hunting at the time allowed for that
@@MrEvanfriend Are you illiterate?
This is so wonderful. In the plethora of garbage and people beating one another to the lowest common denominator on social media, it is so refreshing to see people cherishing, preserving and valuing our past, and actually devoting their lives to something interesting. Bravo.
A joy to hear a British person of my age group speaking with genuine intelligence and authority on TH-cam. So different to most videos on TH-cam! The British Museum is one of my favourite places to visit in London and an institution we are privileged to have. Thank you both!
Thank you so much for this video, British Museum. I'm Australian, but of British heritage. It's great being able to learn my history even when I'm sitting on the other side of the world.
I love how she talks about what is and what isn't known. She doesn't dwell in the perhaps as much as most historians.
Beautiful, unique, captivating to see… and the helmet is really amazing, too.
Sue, that was brilliant! Thank you so much for bringing out the depth of this amazing artifact with such great skill and passion. Well done!
I'm certainly no expert, but perhaps the boar motifs have something to do with how extremely tough a boar's skull is? Boars will defend their tunnel homes by backing into the entrance and presenting their incredibly hard heads and pointy tusks.
Also, Sue is a great presenter and I love her enthusiasm and the way she considers the personality and period context of each item. Thank you so much to Sue, the other curators, and to the entire staff of the British Museum for creating these videos.
In the Bronze age helmets were made of boars teeth bound together!
Check out Mycenaean warriors!
Thank you Sue for bringing to life this ancient helmet. Your history lesson and your great tour around the entire helmet bringing into focus the fine artistry one might miss without your help. The side view of the snakes teeth and his opponent facing off is unbelievably scary when get get the closeup look. Thank you for taking the time to show us this amazing archeology! I, and I am sure many others are looking forward to you future educational documentaries. Keep up the great work on Time Team!
Man, this guy would have looked like a real BADASS in that helmet. Not to mention excellent protection for the head and neck!
Excellent brake down, as always ^_^
One can only imagine how beautiful it was when first made. Amazing video thank you.
True! Also very Intimidating!
I didn’t think I’d end up watching all 18 minutes of the video because I have to get to work but I couldn’t stop watching!
Wow you got a listen from beginning, to and because this story just gets more, and more, and MORE interesting! That is absolutely nuts That historians sculptor man, had the voracious appetite to put together something so obscure/seemingly in penetrable absolutely blows me away that someone actually did this truly!
This was really interesting. I enjoyed this program and will be checking out some others. Thanks!
The Curator's Corner is the best format the Museum uses. Happy to see the format return.
"I am like the dragon, I am like the snake... Cross me at your peril !!"
Well... that was.... a twist lol
I DID think Sue only did swords... but this is awesome! She's great at explaining these pieces. Thanks Sue!
She can curate my sword anytime she likes.
This made my day! "I am like the dragon! I am like the snake! Cross me at your peril!" with the metal riffs and flames... so good.
Superb. Extraordinary. Magnificent. Words fail. Thank you for sharing this amazing piece of history.
You're very welcome
Here’s a fact no one asked for: my great grandad was the vicar of the parish where this was found, when it was found, and he got to see it being unearthed
Thats amazing! :D
Wow he was there at the beginning of this !!
Thank you bigger chungus
Have you watched "the dig" yet?
Wait a minute if he was a holy man why did he have kids?
That was surprisingly fascinating. I thought "no way I'm watching a video this long about a helmet" and then I did. Bravo.
I could listen to Sue talk about these subjects for hours and hours. The subject matter is fascinating, and her ability to convey her own interest and enthusiasm is captivating.
A very well presented video. She has such a gift in keeping you entertained and interested. Before i knew it the video was over.. Thanks Sue !!!
If this was my academic specialism, I'd change my name to Dr. Hoo.
A friend’s dentist is called Doctor Hu.
@@AtheistOrphan there's a Mongolian metal band called The Hu.
Ok. You win the comment section for this one
Dr. Suetton Hoo
I don't know, is "Dr. Sue Hoo" any way to go through life?
Very disappointed her name isn't Sue Hutton.
🤣
As a Swede, I feel pride and fascination of this amazing Viking helmet. Wonderful presentation by Sue. Thank you to British Museum for taking so well care of this object!
It’s Anglo Saxon. Not Viking
When I lived in England I was only a couple of miles from the Sutton Hoo site so I have always been interested in this relic. Thank you.
the Sutton Hoo Helmet, maybe the best find ever. Can you look at the eyes without getting chills...that's a scary helmet
Great timing with The Dig coming out on Netflix yesterday! What a story of human perseverance and of course of immense archeological importance.
It's truly a wonderful film.
It blows my mind how good all of the curators are in front of a camera! Great work :)
This artifact is news to me, but being Norwegian, I found myself thinking about Norse mythology as soon as I saw the thumbnail.
The one-eyed effect does bring to mind Odin. I thought the small creature guiding the spear could be him too, as he is known to have a spear called gungnir which always strikes true.
If the boar imbues defensiveness, the snake and dragon imbue aggression, perhaps the eye effect imbues wisdom, and the spear-assistant if odin imbues precison.
Thanks for sharing this perspective 🙂
If I recall correctly two of the three "Germanic" tribes that displaced Britain's native population were Danish (the Jutes and the Angles), only the Saxons came from modern day Germany, so we're more descended from Scandinavians than Germans. Either way Odin - or Wodin as Germanic tribes called him - would still play a large part in our early history, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are named after Odin, Thor and Freya respectively.
Also you might be Norwegian but your name means 'tiny office cubicle' in Welsh. I think.
@@krashd
Depends where in England you are. Angles - East Anglia, Midlands and Northumberland to Firth of Forth. Saxons - south and west of the Angles (to Wales and Cornwall). Jutes - Kent and around Isle of White. There is no evidence to prove that the existing Britons were totally displaced.
@@YorkyOne True it's most likely that the Brition ruling elite with their followers were killed or driven to Wales and Cornwall, the majority of the common folk would have stayed and adopted Anglo-Saxon culture, Religion and Language.
@@YorkyOne I think it's commonly accepted that the Britons mostly weren't displaced, but willingly integrated into Germanic society
Love the passion of this lovely lady could listen to her all day.
A lovely lady indeed!
Thank you for being even handed and reminding folks that people lived differently that we did!
Wonderful description. Thank you.
Netflix needs to pick up a series of this, she is perfect on camera.
Nope she definitely needs to have her own show talking about all these artifacts in a bikini or naked (since I'm dreaming anyway)!!! I think it would be an award winning show!!! Maybe go with a artifact recovery "dirty jobs" type show!!! Just my two cents
@@rolldogg01 weirdo
she's pretty hot
God no. Keep those ghouls away from this.
@@rolldogg01 can't you function day to day without getting your genitals involved? Must be difficult.
Wish I could work in a museum ever since I was a kid!! Nowadays we can't even go visit them!! This channel is awesome great work!!
British museum is superb 👍
Sue has Brains, charm and an irresistible cuteness that makes watching her a treat!
Finally, something good came out of all this pandemic binge watching - TH-cam recommended The British Museum channel!