Video transcript for the die stamp discovery video

Video transcript for the die stamp discovery video on the article: Kent find suggests Sutton Hoo-type helmets could have been made in England.

[Shot of the outside of the British Museum]

Andrew Richardson, Finds Liaison Officer for Kent County Council: So this little bronze die stamp is the first evidence from the British Isles that this iconic helmet, or helmets like this, might have been made in Britain.

[Close-up of a small bronze die stamp cut to close-up of Anglo-Saxon helmet]

Andrew: It’s been assumed for quite a long time they were made in Sweden, because that’s where similar dies used in their manufacture have been found.

[Cut to Andrew standing in front of the helmet display in the museum]

Andrew: More recently, some dies were found in Denmark, and researchers there have suggested they could be Danish, or from Sweden, or from Denmark. But in Kent, we now have a die stamp for a very similar helmet like this. There is now really no reason not to think that helmets like the Sutton Hoo helmet, and perhaps the Sutton Hoo helmet itself, could have been made in the Kingdom of Kent.

[Cut to close-up of detailing of the Anglo-Saxon helmet and back to Andrew standing in front of the helmet display]

Andrew: So basically, this little die probably made the panels on the top front of the helmet, including the figure. The figure, shown holding a pair of spears and a sword, either dancing or running, closely matches the figures on the panels above the eyebrows.

[Cut to close-up of the die stamp with a finger pointing to the details]

Andrew: They have exactly the same headdress. Each carries two spears and a sword, and they are either running or dancing. It is the same figure.

[Cut to a wide angle of Andrew and Jamie Henderson, Cabinet Member for Environment, Coastal Regeneration and Public Health, talking and looking at the Anglo-Saxon display in the museum]

Jamie: Kent has always played a hugely important role throughout history as a gateway to Britain and a centre of trade, culture and craftsmanship, and this discovery is another reminder of that extraordinary heritage.

[Shot of Jamie in front of the helmet display]

Jamie: At Kent County Council, we are proud to work with partners like the British Museum to help record, protect and share discoveries like this so we can better understand the county’s remarkable past.

[Cut to a final close up of someone holding the die stamp in front of the helmet display]