{"id":343002,"date":"2025-08-14T05:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T05:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/343002\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T05:00:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T05:00:20","slug":"the-rare-and-fascinating-2000-year-old-hat-in-a-greater-manchester-museum-that-is-only-one-of-three-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/343002\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘rare and fascinating’ 2,000-year-old hat in a Greater Manchester museum that is only one of three in the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is thought to have been worn by a Roman soldierA Roman woollen hat prior to restoration. (Image: Bolton Library & Museum Services \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

A 2000-year-old Roman artefact thought one of the best-preserved examples of its kind has gone on display at Bolton<\/a> Museum.<\/p>\n

One of only three of its kind, a woollen hat dating back to the Roman Empire is thought to have been designed to keep the sun out of the eyes of soldiers – and keep them cool in harsh desert climates.<\/p>\n

It is believed to have been made for a member of the Roman military after the conquest of Egypt, following the death of Queen Cleopatra in 30 BC.<\/p>\n

Appearing to have been adapted for Egyptian conditions such as intense sun and sandstorms, it is considered the best-preserved of its kind in the world.<\/p>\n

Cllr Nadeem Ayub, Bolton Council\u2019s Executive Cabinet Member for Culture, told SWNS: “It\u2019s an incredible moment for Bolton to display such a rare and well-preserved item from ancient Egypt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis remarkable object not only tells a global story, but it also reminds us of the power our museums have to inspire future generations, right here in Bolton.”<\/p>\n

The piece was donated to Bolton\u2019s first museum, The Chadwick Museum in Queen\u2019s Park, in 1911 by Sir William Matthew Petrie, a world-leading archaeologist and Egyptologist of the time.<\/p>\n

The conservation of the hat was done by expert textile conservator Jacqui Hyman, who has worked on projects around the world – from museums to royalty over a career spanning nearly five decades.<\/p>\n

She called the conservation process of the ‘very rare’ item a ‘unique privilege’<\/p>\n

Conservator Jacqui Hyman with the hat which she worked to restore.(Image: Ian Trumble \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

\u201cPlanning the appropriate and sensitive treatment was paramount due to its fragility,” said Hyman.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamage by moths had resulted in areas of missing felt, but by supporting and stabilising these areas with similar hand-dyed fabric, the original shape of the hat was recreated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuddenly, a flat, fragile, boxed item had come to life. This hat was made to be worn, but if only it could talk and tell us who made it and who wore it”.<\/p>\n

Ben Ritherdon, director of Ritherdon & Co who funded the conservation, said: \u201cIt was so exciting to learn that we had such a rare and fascinating object right here on our doorstep, and it was a privilege for us to be able to contribute to its conservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith so many worthy causes for small businesses to support, it\u2019s important not to forget that cultural organisations, like our local museums, also rely on businesses in their community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Roman hat is on display at the entrance to the Bolton\u2019s Egypt galleries and will be there until September 2025.<\/p>\n

The two other known hats are held at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester and a museum in Florence, Italy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is thought to have been worn by a Roman soldierA Roman woollen hat prior to restoration. (Image:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[279,748,393,4884,2465,4729,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-343002","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-bolton","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-museums","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115025361486931924","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}