For millennia, humans reshaped wild Britain. We burned the wildwood and repurposed the land for farming; we imported animals that we now think of as original to our countryside. But what is left, if nothing is untouched? In Wilderlands we see how the myth of a lost paradise is a centuries-old fairytale which disconnected us […]
Hidden Kingdoms: exploring South-West Britain in the early medieval period - Professor Stephen Rippon, University of Exeter
When you think of Romano-British architecture, you might picture towering columns, grand amphitheatres, or intricate mosaic floors—like our own stunning Orpheus Mosaic, discovered at Barton Farm, just outside of Cirencester 200 years ago. But did you know that Roman builders had more in common with modern LEGO® enthusiasts than you might expect?
The exhibition will present a selection of exhibits from Will Chester-Master’s fieldwalking finds from Abbey Home Farm, displayed alongside art inspired by walking the landscape where many of the finds were discovered.
May 18th is International Museum Day and the theme is Museums for Education and Research. At the Corinium Museum, education is front and centre of everything we do. Our collections can help us to share knowledge of the past with the public and further add to the knowledge base through research that can offer new insights, information and perspectives.
Read our blog to find out more.
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.
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.
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.
