Carlisle’s ongoing Roman dig has won a trio of prestigious awards.
The Uncovering Roman Carlisle project, at the city’s cricket club, has uncovered a Roman bathhouse and dozens of significant artefacts.
It has won awards for archaeological achievement from the Council for British Archaeology, the Society for Museum Archaeology
It won the Public Dissemination or Presentation category, with the Hadrian’s Wall Community Archaeology Project highly commended, and the Learning, Training, and Skills category.
It also won the Society for Museum Archaeology Engagement Project of the Year award.
One judge said: “This project clearly demonstrates the benefits of engaging volunteers with archaeological excavation and museum based post-ex. It is a clear model for how to utilise such archaeological and museum resources to carefully engage with the local, and often hard to reach, communities, and instil elements of pride in local heritage.”
The Uncovering Roman Carlisle is an ongoing programme of community archaeological investigation, exhibitions, and engagement exploring Carlisle’s Roman remains.
The project is delivered by a partnership of Cumberland Council, Carlisle Cricket Club, Tullie, and Wardell Armstrong Archaeology.
Meanwhile, for those wanting to see some of the significant finds, at Tullie, the Digging Deeping: Uncovering Roman Carlisle, exhibition has been extended to run until December 23.
It showcases the once in a lifetime recent internationally significant finds from Carlisle’s Roman Bathhouse – including the two huge carved Roman heads, a large collection of carved Roman gemstones, and other finds illustrating Roman life in Carlisle.
The summer phase of excavations in 2023 involved 373 volunteers, with more than 2,000 significant finds, and more than 1,678 volunteer days given by volunteers since 2021.
More than 6,000 people visited the site, including 625 trips from local schools so far in 2023. This high-profile dig, which featured in Channel 4/National Geographic’s Lost Treasures of Romeand is set to be part of the programme Digging for Britain, has captured attention worldwide with the number and quality of discoveries.
