Ancient sun hat possibly worn by Roman soldier thousands of years ago uncovered in miraculous find
A one-of-a-kind sun hat, likely worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt, was recently unveiled for the first time – and its survival is considered miraculous.
The sun hat is currently on display at the Bolton Museum in Greater Manchester, England. It was found at the Illahun archaeological site in the Egyptian city of Faiyum in 1888.
The accessory was donated to Bolton’s first museum, the Chadwick Museum, in 1911, and had been in storage for nearly 115 years – until now.
Ian Trumble, a curator of archaeology for Bolton Library & Museum Services, told Fox News Digital the hat survived thanks to Egypt’s dry conditions.
“In Egypt, textiles are often well-preserved in areas where the ground has remained dry, but do not survive in wetter areas nearer to the Nile or in lowland and valley areas that were prone to flooding, such as the Valley of the Kings,” he said.
“This hat was excavated from a drier area of the city, but the Faiyum is generally a wetter area, so the survival of this piece is still quite remarkable.”
The hat is believed to be between 2,100 and 2,400 years old, dating to either the Greek or Roman period of Egyptian history.
“The exterior of the hat is of a cream-colored wool, whereas the interior is a dyed red wool.”
“Our current theory is that it was worn by a soldier, who could have adapted it for Egyptian conditions when they moved with the Roman army from Anatolia to Egypt,” Trumble said.
There are only two similar hats in existence, the expert noted. One is in Manchester, while the other is in Florence.
“We believe that Bolton’s example was always the more complete survival, but now that the conservation has been done, we believe it to be the best example in the world,” said Trumble.