400-year-old military helmet unearthed from castle moat in Hungary. See the find
Today, the 13th century castle on a hilltop in Visegrád, Hungary, looks relatively peaceful, surrounded by a lush forest, walking path and a tourist information center.
But, as archaeologists were recently reminded, the structure has a violent past.
Archaeologists began excavating an old filled-in moat at the castle as part of a large-scale site restoration project, Hungary’s National Archaeological Institute said in a Dec. 17 Facebook post. As they dug, they uncovered layer after layer of debris from siege warfare.
The most unique find was the bottom part of a 400-year-old helmet. Photos show the rusty, broken headgear and the ring of decorative rivets dotting its rim.
Archaeologists identified the fragments as a cabasset helmet, a type of helmet commonly worn by European foot soldiers between 1550 and 1700, the institute said. This particular helmet likely belonged to a Habsburg soldier who died in the Fifteen Years’ War.
The Fifteen Years’ War pitted the European Habsburg empire against the Ottoman empire and involved heavy fighting between 1591 and 1606, according to the University of Szeged in Hungary. The conflict caused destruction and economic devastation in modern-day Hungary.
Excavations of the filled-in moat at Visegrád castle uncovered other traces of battle. Archaeologists found weaponry, projectiles, cannonballs, arrowheads and other items dating from the mid 1500s until the early 1600s, the institute said.
A photo shows a few of these worn-looking artifacts.
The castle’s restoration project is ongoing. Visegrád is a roughly 25-mile drive north of Budapest and near the border with Slovakia.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Hungary’s National Archaeological Institute and article from the University of Szeged.
This story was originally published December 20, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "400-year-old military helmet unearthed from castle moat in Hungary. See the find."
