It was excavated as hundreds of rusted fragments, and was first displayed following an initial reconstruction in 1945–46, and then in its present form after a second reconstruction in 1970–71. It has become a symbol of the Early Middle Ages and 'of Archaeology in general'. The visage contains eyebrows, a nose, and moustache, creating the image of a man joined by a dragon's head to become a soaring dragon with outstretched wings. It is described as 'the most iconic object' from 'one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries ever made', and perhaps the most important known Anglo-Saxon artefact. The helmet was both a functional piece of armour that would have offered considerable protection if ever used in warfare, and a decorative, prestigious piece of extravagant metalwork. It was buried around 625 and is widely associated with King Rædwald of East Anglia its elaborate decoration may have given it a secondary function akin to a crown. The Sutton Hoo helmet is an ornately decorated Anglo-Saxon helmet found during a 1939 excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial.

How the helm of raedwald was solved