Waterloo Helmet

Its thin bronze construction and elaborate decoration make a ceremonial role more likely than ordinary combat use. The horn-like projections and repoussé ornament would have created a striking display but offered limited practical protection.

It was recovered from the River Thames near Waterloo Bridge in London in 1868. Its river location has encouraged interpretations involving deliberate ritual deposition rather than accidental loss.

The two bronze projections are often described as horns, but their precise symbolism is unknown. They may have signaled status, supernatural associations, or ceremonial identity within Iron Age Britain.

The helmet is held by the British Museum in London. It is one of the museum's most recognizable objects from Iron Age Britain and dates broadly to the centuries before the Roman conquest.