Ancient helmet a clue to British history

LONDON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A 2,000-year-old Roman cavalry helmet pieced together 10 years after its discovery has shed new light on the conquest of Britain, U.K. archaeologists say.

The helmet unearthed in Hallaton, Leicestershire, is believed to have been buried in the years around Roman Emperor Claudius's invasion of Britain in 43 A.D., The Daily Telegraph reported.

The helmet and its cheek pieces were restored from nearly 1,000 fragments by experts at the British Museum.

It has been returned to Leicestershire for display at the Harborough Museum, less than 10 miles from where it was buried 2,000 years ago.

Experts said there was a "distinct possibility" it belonged to a Briton serving in the Roman cavalry who may have buried it on his return to the East Midlands, raising questions about the relationship between Romans and Britons.

It could be evidence of Celtic tribes serving with the Roman army, they said,

"We normally think of the Roman conquest of Britain as Romans versus us," Jeremy Hill of the British Museum told the BBC. "Here you probably have a situation where local Britons are fighting on the Roman side."