Carlisle’s Roman past will be celebrated at the city’s Tullie from this month in major exhibitions.
Gladiators of Britain, a touring British Museum Partnership Exhibition with Colchester + Ipswich Museums, will be shown at Tullie alongside a second major exhibition, Uncovering Roman Carlisle: Where Worlds Met, which follows on from previous shows sharing the finds from the archaeological dig at Carlisle Cricket Club.
Together, the exhibitions present a compelling picture of life, power, belief and entertainment on the Roman frontier from the roar of the amphitheatre to the everyday realities of the city.
Gladiators of Britain tells the story of the enslaved fighters who entertained Roman crowds and explores the history of gladiatorial combat in Britain, who gladiators were, and the importance of spectacle in Roman culture.
Occupying Britain for over 350 years, the Romans introduced many aspects of their culture, including gladiatorial fights for public entertainment. The events of the amphitheatre, with its wild beasts and enslaved fighters, remain one of the most enduring images of Roman culture today.
Inspired by the 2023 exhibition at Colchester Castle, Gladiators: A Day at the Roman Games, the touring exhibition explores Roman spectacle in the local context of each venue.
At Tullie, the final stop, the exhibition is set against the backdrop of Carlisle’s strategic position on the Roman frontier, a meeting point of military power, trade, culture and global connections at the very edge of the Empire.
The exhibition looks at the social position of gladiators, who were both vilified and admired as the celebrities of their day.
Considered infamis in Roman law and society, they were excluded from the rights of other citizens.
Visitors will discover the different classes of gladiator and how they were ranked, including beast-fighters known as venatores, who clashed with predators like lions and bears.
Taking visitors back nearly 2,000 years to the Roman province of Britannia, Gladiators of Britain brings together remarkable objects from the British Museum and Colchester + Museums collections alongside items from Tullie’s collection.
Incredible objects loaned by the British Museum include the Hawkedon Helmet, the only confirmed piece of gladiatorial armour found in Roman Britain, a murmillo figurine depicting a heavily armoured gladiator, and a marble relief of a beast fighter illustrating combat between a lion and a venator.
Highlights from Colchester + Ipswich Museums include the iconic Colchester Vase, thought to depict a real gladiatorial battle that took place in Britain.
Uncovering Roman Carlisle: Where Worlds Met explores Carlisle’s role as a vibrant frontier city of the Roman Empire, revealing how people, cultures, goods, ideas and beliefs from across the Roman world met and mixed at this crucial northern outpost.
Drawing on recent archaeological discoveries from the excavation at Carlisle Cricket Club, the exhibition repositions Carlisle as a place of global significance in the ancient world.
It also explores themes of migration and settlement, revealing that movement and cultural exchange were central to life in Roman Carlisle (then known as Luguvalium).
Among the fascinating new finds are artefacts from as far away as Syria, offering fresh insight into the diverse communities who lived, worked, and worshipped here nearly two thousand years ago. This draws parallels with the city today, which is shaped by the journeys and contributions of people from around the world.
The season will be accompanied by a programme of activity, including a headline talk by classicist and broadcaster Mary Beard, as well as a Roman-themed festival across the city, bringing Luguvalium to life through talks, events, performances and family activities.
Anna Smalley, head of collections and engagement at Tullie, said: “Carlisle was one of the most important cities in Roman Britain, a place where worlds met at the very edge of the Roman Empire.
“Bringing Gladiators of Britain to Tullie, alongside Uncovering Roman Carlisle: Where Worlds Met, allows us to tell a powerful, locally rooted story with national and international significance.
“This season puts Carlisle’s Roman heritage firmly in the spotlight and offers audiences a unique opportunity to experience these remarkable stories and objects here in the city.”
Thorsten Opper, Curator of Roman Collections at the British Museum, said: “While gladiators have always captured the public imagination, their presence in Britain has been less widely understood.
“New research has now proven that the spectacles of Rome’s Colosseum were experienced as far away as Britain. It is fascinating to see how each venue, including Carlisle, brings these stories to life in its own local context.”
Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, director of the British Museum, said: “We are delighted to announce this major tour with our partners around the UK.
“Following on from the British Museum’s popular Legion exhibition, Gladiators of Britain again reveals the humans behind the helmets. It’s fantastic that audiences in Carlisle and beyond will have the chance to experience this unmissable exhibition in a city that was so central to Roman Britain.”
Gladiators of Britain and Uncovering Roman Carlisle: Where Worlds Met will run at Tullie from February 7 to May 31.
Tickets: Included with Tullie annual pass or day ticket. Under-18s go free.
