Life in the Bronze Age was more fashionable than you think. This magnificent headwear is the oldest known golden hat, a very specific form of Prehistoric couture. Discovered in 1835 in a field near the town of Schifferstadt in Southwest Germany, the Golden Hat of Schifferstadt stands nearly a foot tall. and is made from a single sheet of hammered gold ringed by intricate tooling and dot patterns. Interior marks suggest it originally was lined by a cloth inner cap, and had a chinstrap to keep it in place. The hat’s purpose is unknown, though it was discovered buried upright on a slab of back-burnt clay, filled with a mixture of earth and ash, with three bronze axes leaning against the cone, suggesting ritual use. Bronze age sun cult perhaps?
