Uncovering Roman Carlisle – Anna Giecco and Nick Henderson, Archaeologists and Trustees at the Uncovering Roman Carlisle Project

Uncovering Roman Carlisle is an ongoing community archaeology project, exploring and exhibiting Carlisle’s Roman Bathhouse. The project grew from humble beginnings when archaeologists from Wardell Armstrong LLP were commissioned by Carlisle Cricket Club to undertake an evaluation for a new Cricket Pavilion in 2017, and discovered a Roman Bathhouse, now the largest known building on Hadrian’s Wall. Returning to the site every year since 2021, Uncovering Roman Carlisle has brought hundreds of volunteers to further explore the site, study and conserve the finds, and to exhibit the discoveries to the world.

Finds from the site include an impressive pair of large stone heads, a soldier’s diploma granting its owner Roman citizenship for himself and his family after 25 years of service and a rare Tyrian purple pigment dating to the era of Septimius Severus. This is believed to be the only unused sample of the pigment ever found in the Roman Empire and raises the question as to whether this was indeed a bathhouse with imperial connections.

The Uncovering Roman Carlisle Project features regularly in newspaper and magazine articles and appeared recently on BBC’s Digging for Britain programme with Alice Roberts. We look forward to welcoming Anna Giecco and Nick Henderson to Aldborough to tell us more about this very impressive project.

Talks are free to Friends of Roman Aldborough members.

Visitors £7.50