Danish Discovery Could Rewrite the History of Sutton Hoo Helmet!
A fascinating archaeological find on the Danish island of Tåsinge might just turn our understanding of one of Britain’s most iconic treasures on its head. The Sutton Hoo helmet—often dubbed “Britain’s Tutankhamun”—has long been thought to have roots in Sweden. But new evidence is pointing somewhere entirely different: Denmark.
Photo Credit: The National Museum of Denmark
From a Quiet Field to a Major Find
Two years ago, Jan Hjort, an amateur metal detectorist, stumbled across what looked like a fairly ordinary copper alloy plate while scanning a field. It didn’t seem like much at first, but after careful examination by experts at the Svendborg Museum—and later the National Museum of Denmark—it turned out to be a “patrice.” This small metal stamp, used to impress patterns onto thin sheets, is now at the centre of a major archaeological debate.
Measuring just 5 by 4 centimetres, the patristic stamp bears striking similarities to designs found on the Sutton Hoo helmet, which was uncovered in Suffolk back in 1939. That helmet, believed to have belonged to King Rædwald of East Anglia, was part of an extravagant 7th-century ship burial loaded with over 260 artefacts.
Photo Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license)
Challenging the Swedish Connection
Until now, scholars believed the helmet’s designs were Swedish in origin—specifically from the Uppland region—because of similar warrior motifs seen on helmets from that area. But the patterns on this Danish patrice suggest a different story.
The similarities between the Danish stamp and the Sutton Hoo helmet go well beyond style. Both depict mounted warriors, with shared features like the design of the horse’s harness, the rider’s wrist cuff, and even a mysterious figure beneath the horse. Tiny details—right down to the horse’s mane and nosepiece—line up almost perfectly. One section of the helmet, previously overlooked due to partial reconstruction, now appears to be an exact match to the Danish motif.
A New Narrative for Northern Europe?
If these connections hold up, they could reshape our understanding of early medieval geopolitics in Northern Europe. Rather than being a peripheral player, Denmark might have been a central hub for elite craftsmanship and political power during the 7th century.
Peter Pentz, curator at the National Museum of Denmark, is cautious but intrigued. “It’s too early to draw firm conclusions,” he says, “but the evidence is compelling.”
What’s more, the area where the patrice was found may have once hosted a metalworking workshop. Fragments of metal and a thin silver sheet were discovered nearby, further fuelling the theory that Tåsinge was more than just a quiet island in the Funen archipelago.
Photo Credit: Mads Lou Bendtsen, The National Museum of Denmark
What’s Next?
To get a clearer picture, researchers plan to create high-resolution 3D scans of both the Danish patrice and the Sutton Hoo helmet. These scans could definitively confirm—or refute—the idea that both pieces came from the same workshop, or at least from the same artistic tradition.
Until then, you can see the patrice for yourself. It’s now on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen from 1 April.
One thing’s for sure: this little stamp from Tåsinge is punching well above its weight—and it might just rewrite part of Britain’s most celebrated archaeological story.