The Spatha swords are back at the museum and they are better than ever! They have been at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham undergoing important conservation work for the past three months. When they first arrived at the museum last year, they were still covered in […]
Communication has been vital for the spread of ideas, knowledge and news since human history began. Written communication has allowed these ideas to spread not only person to person, but technological advances have meant that knowledge and ideas have spread far wider, changing our perception and even, at times, the way we live. Today, the […]
There are few types of artefacts as widespread and ubiquitous as coins. In P.J. Casey’s book Roman Coinage in Britain, he estimates that second-century Roman armies in Britain would have been paid at least 6,750,00 million denarii a year, creating a constantly changing a growing base of physical evidence for historians, archaeologists and curators to […]
The shopkeeper stared in disbelief at the silver coin in his hand. A gleaming denarius, fresh from the Roman mint. He picked it up between his thumb and forefinger to inspect it more closely. Even without the letters proclaiming a name and title, the portrait was unmistakable. The high cheekbones, wrinkled neck, and piercing gaze. […]
According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary a handbag is “a small bag used by a woman to carry everyday objects”. Throughout history there have been many versions of bags or handbags used by both men and women for functional and decorative purposes. Some of the earliest examples of handbags were uncovered in Egyptian burial sites […]
In the nearly a year since two Roman spatha swords were uncovered in the North Cotswolds, the museum has been abuzz with excitement about the ongoing efforts to prepare them for display. As a student from Trinity College Dublin who has been completing a […]
The joys of a delve through the boxes in our social history stores is a special treat. On the look out for some choice objects for display, a box of toys and games drew my eye. Inside I found some card games which turned out more fruitful than I first thought. First up, two decks […]
Cirencester is a town steeped in history, from its roots with the Iron Age Dobunni tribe, through its time as the capital of Britannia Prima in the Roman Britain, to its wealthy Abbey and flourishing wool trade in the medieval period, and as a site of a bloody siege in the English Civil War. In […]
We were very excited to have Time Team visit the museum this month to talk through some objects in the museum’s care. The objects were an assemblage of grave goods from an Anglo-Saxon grave excavated in 2016, and Time Team’s Anglo-Saxon expert Dr Helen Geake took a look at them with me. Time Team came […]
This Festival of Archaeology, Samantha Fryer Ward looks at how archaeology is not just about finding objects but about uncovering people’s lives
