2,000-year-old Egyptian hat stayed hidden inside a museum for more than 100 years until experts finally restored it

For more than a hundred years, a small but remarkable piece of ancient clothing sat away from public view inside Bolton Museum’s collections. Few visitors knew it existed, and even fewer had the chance to see its fragile wool fibres, shaped by hands nearly two millennia ago.Now, after a careful conservation project, the Egyptian head covering has been brought back into the light. The rare object, believed to date from the Roman period in Egypt, is being displayed for the first time in its history at the museum. Made from felted wool and preserved in unusually good condition after treatment, the hat offers a glimpse into everyday life during a period when Roman influence was spreading across Egypt.The 2,000-year-old Egyptian hat revealing secrets of Roman Egypt As reported by Bolton Council in 2025, the hat is thought to have been created sometime after Egypt became part of the Roman Empire following the death of Queen Cleopatra in 30 BC. While its exact owner remains unknown, experts believe it may have belonged to someone connected with the Roman military.Its design shares similarities with head coverings worn elsewhere across the Roman world around 200 CE. However, its constructi...