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.
