We have many strange and fantastical things in our stores and I recently had the chance to do a little bit of research into this very large (and heavy) object that isn’t on display. It was found in Syde in 1962 by one Major S.P.H. Simonds while he was ploughing his field. This object is called a lead ‘pig’, but it doesn’t resemble the animal at all, and is a nice big lump of lead.
Helen O’Neil was one of the pre-eminent archaeologists of the 20th century who contributed greatly to our understanding of the history of this part of the Cotswolds. In 1938, she was invited to become honorary curator here at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
I had the privilege to go around and find some pieces that really caught my eye, and the Anglo-Saxon jewellery did just that. It is known for its intricate designs and craftsmanship.
In this first of a two-part blog entry, James Harris, our Collections Engagement Officer, presents a fabulous selection of artefacts recently donated to Corinium Museum by two metal detectorists from Fairford. They were found across various locations in the Cotswolds and date from the late prehistoric period through to the post medieval, spanning at least 2500 years.
The amphitheatre in Cirencester is the second biggest in Britain after the one found in London, it dates as far back as the early 2nd Century, and could have held the entire population of Corinium at its height, around 8,000 people.
If you step back in time to Roman Corinium in the month of December, you might just find that some things seem very familiar
Shrewsbury Museum and Art gallery has one of only two known Jupiter columns in the UK. It is not complete, but the two surviving columns – the other is in the Corinium museum in Cirencester – complement each other.
It was an early start to the day on Tuesday to take the two Roman cavalry swords down to Portsmouth. It’s not every day you can say that you’ve taken nearly 2,000-year-old objects somewhere in your car!
I remember it was a cold and murky September afternoon. My dad, my sister Molly and I decided to have an afternoon metal detecting at one of my dad’s local detecting permissions.
A rare and important find has been unearthed in the Cotswold District. Two Roman cavalry swords along with remnants of their wooden scabbards and fitments were discovered by Glenn Manning during a metal detectorist rally in the north of the Cotswolds. There was also a broken copper alloy bowl discovered with the weaponry.
