Maryport is home to one of the largest and most-impressive collections of Roman altars in the world, with the role of religion at the site debated by academics and archaeologists over many years. Deliberately buried in pits, the altars – which now form part of the Senhouse Roman Museum at Maryport – were rediscovered in the 1870s. In 2011, archaeologists began a five-year programme of excavation, revisiting the area where they were found, with the aim of gaining better understanding of religion at Roman Maryport. Their conclusions, as detailed in A Cult Centre on Rome’s North-West Frontier, reinterpret our knowledge of the altars, and position Maryport as a major cult centre associated with Hadrian’s Wall. The volume recounts both the original rediscovery and the subsequent five-year research project. Illustrated throughout and insightfully written, this volume will appeal to anyone interested in the archaeology of Hadrian’s Wall and religion in northern Roman Britain.
A Cult Centre on Rome’s North-West Frontier: excavations at Maryport, Cumbria 1870-2015
Ian Haynes and Tony Wilmott
Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, £35
ISBN 978-187312464
