texts

Searching for Severus: Did a Roman emperor visit Carlisle?

Last month, CA 418 reported on excavations uncovering a sumptuous 3rd-century building at Carlisle Cricket Club. Its date coincides with the period when Septimius Severus and his family are known to have been in northern Britain, and of the emperor’s military campaigns in Caledonia. One translation of the Historia Augusta states that Severus travelled to Luguvalium, Roman Carlisle, during this visit – but is it correct? David Breeze and Alan Wilkins investigate the documentary evidence.

Illuminated Psalter MET DT5343

This week: Golden manuscripts

Throughout history, gold has captured the imagination – as a glittering symbol of money, sex, power, divine love, or whatever else our hearts desire. From the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece to Titian's Danae, and from the golden objects found in Ancient Egyptian tombs to the quest at the heart of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the precious metal has been mined as subject matter for writers and artists across continents and down millennia.

Written in gold: exploring golden manuscripts from around the world

Some of the most significant texts from around the world have been given very special treatment, with words of holiness and of diplomatic value written both in and on gold. Annabel Teh Gallop, Eleanor Jackson, and Kathleen Doyle investigate the indelible importance of the precious metal in luxury manuscripts.