EXHIBITIONS
Gladiators: A Cemetery of Secrets
Corinium Museum, Circencester
22 October 2022-23 April 2023
https://coriniummuseum.org/discover/gladiators/
This autumn, the skeletons of six Romans will arrive at Corinium Museum, marking the launch of a new touring exhibition from the Jorvik Group of Attractions. Gladiators: A Cemetery of Secrets presents 80 burials found in a Roman-period cemetery in York and explores the latest research into who these individuals were, giving visitors a chance to work out for themselves which skeletons were gladiators, and to learn more about Roman life. Tickets to the museum, which include entry to the exhibition, can be pre-booked online. See the museum’s website for prices.
Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan
Stonehenge Visitor Centre
Until August 2023
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/exhibitions/circles-of-stone
This new exhibition at Stonehenge celebrates the connections between Neolithic Britain and prehistoric Japan, telling the story of the settlements and stone circles of the middle and late Jomon periods, which coincide with the time when Stonehenge was built and used. Circles of Stone features a variety of exceptional objects, some of which have never before been seen outside of Japan, reflecting the complexity and sophistication of communities living in both Jomon Japan and Neolithic Britain. Admission is free to Stonehenge ticket holders.
EVENTS
Ancient African Queens: New Perspectives on Black History
Online
27 October 2022
www.nms.ac.uk/AncientAfricanQueens
This online panel discussion from National Museums Scotland will reassess the cultural connections between ancient Egypt and Nubia, focusing on powerful royal women such as the ‘Qurna Queen’. Curator Dr Margaret Maitland, Dr Solange Ashby, and Professor Katherine Harloe will examine the biases of 19th- and 20th-century Egyptologists, who painted the culture of ancient Egypt as superior to that of ancient Nubia, and explore how the importance of Nubian material culture has been overlooked in historical collections. Places can be booked online now. The event is free, with optional donation.
Carlisle – City of Lights: Luguvalium
Multiple locations, Carlisle
21-23 October 2022
www.discovercarlisle.co.uk/Whats-On/category/family/ carlisle-city-of-lights-luguvalium
This immersive sound and light experience will illuminate landmarks throughout the city of Carlisle, including Carlisle Cathedral, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, and Carlisle Castle, visually transporting visitors through time to the Roman period, when the area was home to a town called Luguvalium. Tickets for this event, which is part of the Hadrian’s Wall 1900 Festival, can be purchased online, or by phone from the Carlisle Tourist Information Centre, and cost £7 for adults or £6 for under-16s. Under-5s go free.
CONFERENCE
Archaeology in Hertfordshire: Recent Research
Dagnall Street Baptist Church, St Albans, AL3 5EE
22 October 2022
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archaeology-in-hertfordshire-recent-research-tickets-275943784287
This day conference, organised by the St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society and the Welwyn Archaeological Society, will explore recent archaeological work in Hertfordshire through a variety of papers, including ‘A Palace at Verulamium and Other Stories’, ‘A Special Place: symbolic deposition at Wickham Hill, Braughing’, and ‘The Archaeology of the A120 Bypass’. The event will take place both in person and via Zoom. Tickets cost £15. For answers to any queries, email Kris Lockyear at noviodunum@hotmail.com.
VIRTUAL VISITS
• eMuseum Himmelswege, Germany
www.emuseum-himmelswege.de/en
Explore the story of the famous Nebra Sky Disc and its connection to a network of significant contemporary prehistoric sites in Saxony-Anhalt through a variety of online resources with this new virtual museum.
• Pan African Heritage Digital Museum, Ghana
https://pahmuseum.org
The new Pan African Heritage Museum, which is currently being built in Ghana, has launched a digital museum through which visitors can explore African history and heritage from home. Access to the virtual museum for 24 hours costs $10.
• Via Trimontia/Trimontium Roman Fort, UK
www.trimontium.co.uk/trimontium-virtual-fort-app-launched
Discover the Roman fort site of Trimontium in Scotland with this new mobile app, which offers a virtual tour of the site with new imagery, reconstructions, stories, and information about the fort.
• Battle of Culloden, UK
https://virtual-visits.co.uk/battle-of-culloden
Take a virtual tour of the site of the Battle of Culloden and learn more about the story of the 1745 Jacobite Rising with this online resource released by National Trust Scotland.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
• Masterworks: Journey through History in Virtual Reality
http://masterworksvr.org
Visit several significant historical sites around the world with this virtual-reality experience, and learn more about who created these places and the challenges they are facing today.
• People’s Collection Wales
www.peoplescollection.wales
Explore the rich history of Wales through the lives of everyday people, with this online collection, which encompasses thousands of objects, photos, documents, and more, telling their unique stories.
• American History Hit
www.historyhit.com/podcasts
History Hit has launched its first American-focused podcast. Presenter Don Wildman speaks with experts from across the USA, and brings to life different periods and events from America’s history.
• Tides of History
https://wondery.com/shows/tides-of-history
Discover how the past has influenced the world we live in today with this podcast hosted by Patrick Wyman, which explores a wide variety of historical and archaeological topics, now in its fifth season.
• Museum TikTok
www.tiktok.com/@museumtiktok
Find out about new exhibitions and events, and get recommendations for museums around the world with this TikTok account featuring a wide range of short videos on museum-based topics.
FAMILY FUN
• Time Detectives: the Mystery of the Mary Rose
https://maryrose.org/time-detectives/
Download this mobile augmented reality app to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the Mary Rose, complete a mission for Henry VIII, and investigate the ship’s sinking in 1545 (see CA 390 for more details).
• Archaeology activities at home
www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/archaeology/education/activities-at-home
Explore a variety of free downloadable resources from Surrey County Council to get children involved in archaeology at home, ranging from word searches to instructions on how to dig your own test-pit.
• Digging for Treasure
www.channel5.com/show/digging-for-treasure
Enjoy this new series in which Dan Walker, Michaela Strachan, and Raksha Dave join teams of metal-detectorists, mudlarkers, and marine archaeologists as they search for hidden history across the UK.
• Lost Treasures of Rome
www.channel4.com/programmes/lost-treasures-of-rome
Delve further into life in the Roman Empire with this documentary series, as international teams of archaeologists and experts explore important sites from the Colosseum to Hadrian’s Wall.
• Mysteries of the Bayeux Tapestry
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015nnc
Find out more about the Bayeux Tapestry as archaeologists, historians, biologists, and even astrophysicists carry out investigations in order to understand better this 11th-century work of art and the story it tells us.
