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.
Ian Haynes and Tony Wilmott
Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, £35
ISBN 978-187312464
