Wax visible inside the skull before treatment

Background

The 2009-2010 project to conserve 300 items for the new display at the Roman Baths Museum included a variety of materials from Roman earthenware ceramics to bronze statuettes. Some of the larger objects were made of lead and included lead piping from the baths themselves and a Roman coffin. The coffin was the feature of our last blog and we’d like to follow on from this with details of the conservation of the coffin’s contents.

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The coffin lining was discovered in 1999 at the St Swithuns' Yard site on Walcot Street, Bath. The original excavation and conservation work was undertaken by the Museum of London and the project was filmed as part of the BBC series ‘Meet the Ancestors’ with Julian Richards.

Two coffins were found at the site. They were buried by the side of an alley way in the late 4th century. One coffin belonged to a male, 45 years of age and a height of 5”8. He was buried next to a female who was local to the area. She was approximately 25 years old and had been buried in a wooden coffin. Unfortunately the female skeleton was not well preserved.

Coffin lining before treatment

The coffin lining and the skeleton were taken to the Museum of London where a number of tests were carried out. Analysis revealed that there was no obvious cause of death. DNA results showed that his maternal ancestors came from the eastern Mediterranean and further analysis of his bones and teeth suggested he had probably spent his youth in Syria.  Please 'read more' to find out about the conservation work taking place...
 

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In the foyer of the History Centre we have displayed images of some of the favourite places in Wiltshire and Swindon voted for by the people of the county and the borough in an online poll conducted a few years ago by the Windows on Wiltshire Project. The winner, with over 20% of the vote was Avebury, with North Meadow Cricklade and the Westbury White Horse coming second and third respectively. Other places high up on the list include Malmesbury Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral, the GWR Works in Swindon and the Box Railway Tunnel, the Caen Hill Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Devizes and, of course, Stonehenge. Read on to find out about my own personal favourite - will it be yours?......

Do You Recognise This Wiltshire Landscape?

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