Roman beliefs about death and burials were explored in an intriguing exhibition which opened on 25 May and ran to the the end of November 2005. It highlighted Roman funerary practices in the locality, with special attention given to the Roman cemetery at Brougham some of which has been excavated over the years.
The display originated from Tullie House Museum Carlisle.The study of grave goods and remains of buried people gave a valuable insight into ethnicity, gender, identity and age. Items from local excavations showed how people were buried, what their tombstones tell us and what the different symbols of death represent.
The exhibition took a new look at the meaning of death and what we associate with going to 'the other side', and explored the beliefs that the Romans had about afterlife.
One of the highlights of the exhibition was a skull that was found down a third century well in Carlisle, and which probably represents a murder victim, as there is a small entry wound and large exit wound in the skull. 'Duncan' as the skull has been named, was found during excavations in the centre of Carlisle in the 1980s. His face had been reconstructed to allow visitors to see how he looked over 1,700 years ago.
