Category: Romans in Britain

Colchester Roman Circus Saved?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ 1 Comment

The campaigners have reached their goal … does this mean that the Circus is saved or are there other hurdles?

Campaigners in Colchester hit their target yesterday of raising £200,000 towards saving the only Roman chariot-racing circus ever found in Britain. Nothing remains above ground except a few stones, but the campaigners aim to buy a Victorian garden which covers a crucial part of the track: the starting gates from which the chariots, pulled by four horses, would have raced past raked seating for 15,000 spectators – more than twice the population when Colchester was a Roman town.Most of the money came in small donations from local people. They organised events including a chariot and two horses hurtling around the car park before Colchester United’s match against Oldham on February 20.The campaigners hope that local community groups, including the Colchester Archaeological Trust, which discovered the circus, will buy a listed but derelict sergeant’s mess which adjoins the garden to build a visitor centre.

via Campaigners hit £200,000 target to save Colchester’s Roman circus | Guardian .

Roman Soldier’s Hoard?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Not quite sure of the ‘military’ claim here:

A hoard of 208 coins found in a Suffolk field could have belonged to a retired Roman soldier. The collection of silver denarii coins was discovered in an undisclosed area of north Suffolk last spring, an inquest heard. Greater Suffolk Coroner Peter Dean determined the find to be treasure because of the age and silver composition of the coins. Judith Plouviez, archaeological officer for the Conservation Team at Suffolk County Council, told the coroner that the coins covered a period between the 1st Century BC and the 1st Century AD of the Roman Empire. She also explained that the collection of coins spanned across a number of Roman emperors, including Nero, Vespasian, Domitianus and Claudius. Speaking after the inquest, Ms Plouviez said: “There have been a number of finds in the area due to the amount of people living and working here during that time. “Due to the wealth of coins found in such a small patch, the owner must have been someone who was relatively well-to-do. “It is very possible that the coins belonged to a retired soldier, as the Roman army was paid in silver coins. “This is why so many coins can be found scattered around.” A further inquest at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court also revealed a gold Roman finger-ring to be treasure. The ring was also found in a north Suffolk field. All of the treasure will now be put forward to the Treasure Valuation Committee, organised independently by the British Museum, where the value of each lot will be established.

via Coins found in field could have belonged to Roman soldier | Advertiser 24.

Restoring Jupiter

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Interesting item:

IT IS almost 2,000 years old and was thought to have been lost forever, but now an ancient Roman bust is being preserved for future generations.

Conservationists have begun the painstaking process of restoring a marble carving of the Roman god Jupiter which has been rediscovered at Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

The piece has been identified as part of the celebrated collection of the Earl of Arundel’s collection of antiquities from the classical world and is now being analysed by English Heritage at its archaeological store in Helmsley.

Susan Harrison, English Heritage Curator, said: “The condition of the bust is pretty good, but it does need cleaning and further research. Because it’s mentioned in 17th Century records, experts knew it existed, but they have searched for it in vain amongst the world’s collections of antiquities.

“But here it was all along, safe and sound and waiting to be rediscovered. We plan to do further work to determine the type of marble which will give us an indication of where in the Roman world it is originally from. It really is an impressive piece.”

According to Roman mythology, Jupiter was the most powerful of all the Gods and the Latin depiction of the Greek, God Zeus.

A short little video report accompanies the original article.

via Conservationists begin restoration of Roman bust of Jupiter | York Press.

Roman Ring and Gemstone Find

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

This just in:

A GOLD ring and a gemstone found in a field near Upton Grey date back to Roman times, an inquest in Basingstoke heard.

The ring dates back to the third century, and the gemstone from the first or second century. They were found on January 18 last year by Martin Barker, a plumber and amateur treasure hunter from Middlesex, using a metal detector.

Sarah Whitby, deputy coroner for North East Hampshire, ruled at an inquest into the find, held at the Civic Offices, that the items were treasure.

They will now be valued by experts at the British Museum and are thought to be worth a few hundred pounds.

Ralph Jackson, curator at the British Museum’s department of prehistory and Europe, prepared a report for the inquest having studied the items.

The inquest was told he believes the carnelian gemstone bears a picture of a maenad – a female worshipper of Dionysus – the ancient Greek god of wine.

The gemstone would probably have sat inside the ring, which had a gold content of around 94 to 97 per cent, and the ring may have been part of a larger ornamental brooch, the inquest heard.

Angus Janaway, who owns the land on which the treasure was found, attended the inquest. He told The Gazette: “I have known Martin for a long time and this could be the find of a life time. When I first saw it, it was covered in mud so I did not know what it was.”

After valuation, the ring will be offered for sale to the Hampshire Museums Service. The money will then be shared between the Crown, Mr Barker and Mr Janaway.

Rob Webley, Finds Liaison Officer for the Hampshire Museums Service, said the items could together be worth around £300 to £500.

He said: “It’s a special piece and it is something that the museum service would hope to acquire. I would hope that it would go on display at the Willis Museum in Basingstoke.”

via Gems find from Roman times | Basingstoke Gazette.

What’s (in) a Roman Urn?

~ David Meadows ~ rogueclassicist ~ Leave a comment

Interesting find/followup:

THE Romans had something to declare at Exeter Airport – 2,000 years after they arrived in Devon.Passing through customs was a very old pot that the visitors had left behind during their stay in the county some time in the mid-70s AD.The black-burnished urn was dug up during an archaeological dig in Cullompton and since then everyone has been wondering what was in it.Rather than put a hand in and root about inside or hold it upside down and scatter the contents on the table, the pot was sent along to the airport which has a big X-ray machine usually devoted to ensuring airline passengers’ security.Staff from Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum – whose own X-ray gear was a bit small for the job – gathered round to see what would be revealed.And in the end it was a 2,000-year-old dead Roman. Or at least, the remains of a dead Roman, along with some strange curved objects that may or may not be pieces of jewellery or brooches.Jenny Durrant, the museum’s assistant curator of antiquities, said experts would now be sifting through the remains to learn more. “It was very unusual to find an urn like this intact. It could have been a Roman soldier or may be even a well-off local person.”The find is helping rewrite the history of Cullompton. A Roman fort at St Andrews Hill in the Mid-Devon town, which was abandoned around the mid-70s AD, was discovered in 1984.

via Urn X-ray picks up Roman remains | Western Morning News.

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