The helmet was buried among other regalia and instruments of power as part of a furnished ship-burial, probably dating from the early seventh century.
 The ship had been hauled from the nearby river up the hill and lowered into a prepared trench.
Inside this, the helmet was wrapped in cloths and placed to the left of the head of the body.
An oval mound was constructed around the ship.
Long afterwards, the chamber roof collapsed violently under the weight of the mound, compressing the ship's contents into a seam of earth.

It is thought that the helmet was shattered either by the collapse of the burial chamber or by the force of another object falling on it.
The fact that the helmet had shattered meant that it was possible to reconstruct it.
Had the helmet been crushed before the iron had fully oxidised, leaving it still pliant, the helmet would have been squashed, leaving it in a distorted shape similar to the Vendel and Valsgärde helmets.
The helmet was buried among other regalia and instruments of power as part of a furnished ship-burial, probably dating from the early seventh century.  The ship had been hauled from the nearby river up the hill and lowered into a prepared trench. Inside this, the helmet was wrapped in cloths and placed to the left of the head of the body. An oval mound was constructed around the ship. Long afterwards, the chamber roof collapsed violently under the weight of the mound, compressing the ship's contents into a seam of earth.
It is thought that the helmet was shattered either by the collapse of the burial chamber or by the force of another object falling on it. The fact that the helmet had shattered meant that it was possible to reconstruct it. Had the helmet been crushed before the iron had fully oxidised, leaving it still pliant, the helmet would have been squashed, leaving it in a distorted shape similar to the Vendel and Valsgärde helmets.
Sutton Hoo helmet