For those wishing to see what may be achieved from a detailed and forensic examination of a single small find and its archaeological context, The Crosby Garrett Helmet, edited by David Breeze, provides a satisfying journey of discovery while raising some of the serious issues that came from the process of discovery, ‘restoration’, research and sale.

After the preface by the editor, section one sets out to leave the reader in no doubt of the significance of the Crosby Garrett helmet. Here Bishop provides a thorough and lavishly illustrated description of the helmet. Important details about the manufacture, repair (in Roman times) and metallurgy of the artefact are also discussed. This sets the scene for a wider discussion of the international context of the artefact and its discovery. Bishop and Coulston combine to discuss the helmet within its international setting, offering a history of cavalry sports helmets and their subsequent findspots throughout the Empire from the time of Augustus to the fourth century.

Section two deals with the discovery, sale and restoration of the artefact and the initial analysis of the helmet from the point at which a grainy mobile phone image of the helmet was sent to Sally Worrell in 2010 to the difficult negotiations between finds liaison officers, finder, landowner, Christies auction house and numerous others who became involved in the process. Images of the helmet before its restoration provide a startling contrast to those that show it fully restored and the true nature of the incredibly extensive restoration work is revealed. Worrell, Boughton and Pearce do an admirable job of carrying the reader through what was clearly a very difficult balancing act between the need for information about the discovery and the laws relating to metal-detected finds, to the restoration and sale of the helmet. They point out that the helmet was not conserved prior to restoration and requests to do so were ignored without a response. The person who undertook the restoration work, Bradbury, offers a very brief description of the restoration process and includes valuable images of its scraps laid out in 37 pieces before being put back into a single artefact. Such reconstructive ‘restoration’ work remains highly controversial and has a huge impact on the integrity of the artefact.

The style of the authors changes as the volume takes us into section three, dealing with the archaeological reports on subsequent excavations that took place at the discovery site. What is immediately obvious is how limited in scope the archaeological fieldwork was in comparison to the importance of the artefact itself and the volume of debate that its discovery created. Healey, Graham and Shaw admirably report on what it was possible to achieve within the limited remit they were given; this section includes geophysical surveys of the site, the eventual investigation of the findspot and associated finds and environmental analysis. A dozen specialist reports on many aspects of material culture, including Bidwell on the Roman pottery, Gerrard on coins, Vaughan-Williams on charcoal, Healey on radiocarbon dates and Wood on animal bones, add welcome and useful context for considering the possible nature of the site that surrounded the discovery.

Breeze and Shaw conclude the volume in section four, clarifying their thoughts on the context of the discovery, and offer a hypothesis for the site having been a farm set within a Roman military landscape. This seems a plausible explanation given the rural location surrounded by forts and bases and limited evidence available from the excavations.

To conclude, The Crosby Garrett Helmet shows us what can be achieved through excellent and sometimes exhaustive collaboration on researching a single significant artefact. It is an expression of a great collective effort to gather and save as much information as possible and to contextualise the discovery under often difficult circumstances. The scholarly contributions are informative and very well expressed throughout, and although the archaeological reports style in section three jars slightly with the more narrative discussions elsewhere, it is a vital contribution. In the end this book highlights a constant struggle between two competing forces: the archaeological and research value of the copper-alloy helmet and the economic impact of the artefact for its metal-detector finder, the landowner and its new owner. The reader is left with the satisfaction that archaeology and research has won the day this time, but there is a warning here that this would not have been the case without the incredible efforts made by many of the contributors to this volume.