Roman tombstone to stay in city
The stone is tentatively dated to the year 100 AD
A Roman gravestone which was unearthed by builders in Lancashire is to go on display near the site where it lay for almost 2,000 years.
The 6ft (1.8m) stone shows a mounted soldier holding a sword and the severed head of a barbarian he had killed.
Builders who were laying foundations for a block of flats in Lancaster city centre found the stone last year.
Archaeologists have worked with a number of organisations to raise enough money to keep it in Lancaster.
Donations to help restore the stone, tentatively dated to 100 AD, came from the V&A, the MLA Purchase Grant Fund and the Oxford-based Haverfield Bequest.
Once conservation has been carried out at the Lancashire Conservation Studios, it will be moved back to Lancaster.
The stone, which was bought with money provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lancashire County Council, will then go on display at Lancaster City Museum.
Ian Barker, Leader of Lancaster City Council, said it was an important move for local history.
"Lancaster people will be able to see for themselves this link with the city's Roman past," he said.
"The successful outcome to the negotiations and various funding bids is practical evidence of how well the partnership between the city and the county is working in delivering museum services to the district." Stephen Bull, Curator of Military History and Archaeology, described the stone as "both a crucial insight into the history of the county, and an iconic piece of Lancaster's dramatic past".
news.bbc.co.uk
********************************************************
More from this story...
2,000-year-old Roman gravestone secured for Lancaster
Lancaster City Museum
A Roman gravestone discovered on a Lancaster building site will stay in the town for good, council bosses have announced.
Nearly 2,000 years after the 6ft tombstone was carved, it will be restored before being put on permanent display in Lancaster City Museum.
The internationally significant find, unearthed at a site on Aldcliffe Road last year, has been bought for the public and is currently being restored by archaeologists.
Cavalryman Insus Vodullus's tomb features a carved frieze depicting the warrior gripping the severed head of a barbarian.
Inscriptions on the stone reveal that he was a curator with the ala Augusta auxiliary cavalry unit.
Split into three parts, the tombstone is being cleaned and reassembled by experts at Lancashire County Council's new St Mary's Conservation Centre.
Edmund Southworth, county museums officer at Lancashire County Council, said: "We know he was a cavalry unit curator - but curator in those days was the equivalent to a military quartermaster or a junior officer in a modern army.
"When the works are complete and it goes on display it will be one of the most complete Roman tombstones ever discovered. It will be of international significance."
Stephen Bull, curator of military history and archaeology at the county council-owned Museum of Lancashire, said: "We can date it from between 75AD and 125AD by the style, and the movement of Roman armies at that time.
"This stone offers us a crucial insight into the history of Lancashire and is an iconic part of Lancaster's dramatic past. The carving and inscription will add detail to what we know about the Roman auxiliary cavalry and its equipment."
Copyright Press Association 2006
24dash.com
A Roman gravestone which was unearthed by builders in Lancashire is to go on display near the site where it lay for almost 2,000 years.
The 6ft (1.8m) stone shows a mounted soldier holding a sword and the severed head of a barbarian he had killed.
Builders who were laying foundations for a block of flats in Lancaster city centre found the stone last year.
Archaeologists have worked with a number of organisations to raise enough money to keep it in Lancaster.
Donations to help restore the stone, tentatively dated to 100 AD, came from the V&A, the MLA Purchase Grant Fund and the Oxford-based Haverfield Bequest.
Once conservation has been carried out at the Lancashire Conservation Studios, it will be moved back to Lancaster.
The stone, which was bought with money provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lancashire County Council, will then go on display at Lancaster City Museum.
Ian Barker, Leader of Lancaster City Council, said it was an important move for local history.
"Lancaster people will be able to see for themselves this link with the city's Roman past," he said.
"The successful outcome to the negotiations and various funding bids is practical evidence of how well the partnership between the city and the county is working in delivering museum services to the district." Stephen Bull, Curator of Military History and Archaeology, described the stone as "both a crucial insight into the history of the county, and an iconic piece of Lancaster's dramatic past".
news.bbc.co.uk
********************************************************
More from this story...
2,000-year-old Roman gravestone secured for Lancaster
Lancaster City Museum
A Roman gravestone discovered on a Lancaster building site will stay in the town for good, council bosses have announced.
Nearly 2,000 years after the 6ft tombstone was carved, it will be restored before being put on permanent display in Lancaster City Museum.
The internationally significant find, unearthed at a site on Aldcliffe Road last year, has been bought for the public and is currently being restored by archaeologists.
Cavalryman Insus Vodullus's tomb features a carved frieze depicting the warrior gripping the severed head of a barbarian.
Inscriptions on the stone reveal that he was a curator with the ala Augusta auxiliary cavalry unit.
Split into three parts, the tombstone is being cleaned and reassembled by experts at Lancashire County Council's new St Mary's Conservation Centre.
Edmund Southworth, county museums officer at Lancashire County Council, said: "We know he was a cavalry unit curator - but curator in those days was the equivalent to a military quartermaster or a junior officer in a modern army.
"When the works are complete and it goes on display it will be one of the most complete Roman tombstones ever discovered. It will be of international significance."
Stephen Bull, curator of military history and archaeology at the county council-owned Museum of Lancashire, said: "We can date it from between 75AD and 125AD by the style, and the movement of Roman armies at that time.
"This stone offers us a crucial insight into the history of Lancashire and is an iconic part of Lancaster's dramatic past. The carving and inscription will add detail to what we know about the Roman auxiliary cavalry and its equipment."
Copyright Press Association 2006
24dash.com
