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.