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Roman collection, Hadrians wall

• Message 1. 

  Posted by Rachel (U5769524) on Thursday, 28th February 2008

  In the UK, if I wanted to see the best collection of Roman finds, where would I go?
  I saw a documentary that explained the finds along Hadrians wall and that they had only searched a very small area along it. Are the local land owners not allowing people to explore the wall? Is it possible that there are forts and even villages that have not been found yet?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by TwinProbe (U4077936) on Thursday, 28th February 2008

  Hi Joxer,
  
  A lot depends on what you mean by 'best'. Naturally the British Museum has some magnificent Roman objects including the Hoxne and Mildenhall treasures. The collections in the Museum of London are also well worth investigation, or in Edinburgh the National Museum of Scotland.
  
  Many Roman urban sites have excellent museums: Cirencester, Bath, St Albans and Carlisle. Reading museum has the material from Silchester. There are classical collections in the Ashmolean museum in Oxford. The new site museum at Caerleon in Wales is a personal favourite.
  
  If you are interested in Hadrian's Wall there are excellent museums at Chesters Fort, Vindolanda, Corbridge and Newcastle.
  
  Several of the forts along the Wall are indeed unexcavated, such as Brocolitia, together with long lengths of the wall itself. This is good since once the stonework is exposed it starts to deteriorate. Proper excavation is expensive and a Roman military site is likely to generate masses of material requiring conservation. If you want to see a site, a museum, and happy archaeologists doing their thing Vindolanda is the place. For a magnificent day out with plenty of Roman material, and much else besides, York is hard to beat, although Chester runs it a very close second.
  
  Best wishes,
  
  TP

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  Posted by Alaric the Goth (U1826823) on Friday, 29th February 2008

  I second what TwinProbe has said. I would also mention the Roman Army Museum at Carvoran, north west of Haltwhistle, which has the added benefit of being near one of the best preserved sections of the Wall, which winds its wway over the hills to the east of there.
  
  Vindolanda, although a few miles back (on the 'Stanegate') from the actual Wall, is a great place to visit, particularly for the writing tablets in its museum.
  
  If in York, the Yorkshire Museum is the place for finds, and the nearby Multangular Tower and section of the fort wall is definitely worth a look.

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  Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Friday, 29th February 2008

  Joxer,
  
  I also second Twinprobe for Hadrian's Wall.
  I visited some two years ago Hadrian's Wall from Newcastle out. I enjoyed most Vidolanda, but the museum of Newcastle is also very interesting (combined with the Newcastle history. I think it was there that I saw some Roman toilets. Not sure but in any case I visited a Roman fort and I think it was as mentioned Chesters.
  
  I made a whole description of my visit for these boards. If I have time I will seek it back.
  
  Warm regards,
  
  Paul.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by TwinProbe (U4077936) on Friday, 29th February 2008

  Hi Paul,
  
  The famous Roman latrines on Hadrian's Wall are at Housesteads Fort; and they are crackers. At one time the garrison at Housesteads were the cuneus Frisiorum. Am I right in thinking you live fairly near Frisia?
  
  Chesters Fort has a bridge abutment, a bath house and Victorian museum which English Heritage have wisely maintained as a Victorian style museum. It is stuffed full with Roman tombstones and sculpture.
  
  I was thinking that in my original posting I should have given Bath a paragraph of its own. It is a unique site; if included in a visit to Caerwent and Caerleon it would make a memorable trip.
  
  Best wishes,
  
  TP

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• Message 6

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  Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Friday, 29th February 2008

  Re: Message 5.
  
  Twinprobe,
  
  thank you very much for your interesting reply.
  
  "near Frisia?" No, no, even not in my most fearsome dreams. Goss, the North of Holland? No thanks for that idea. A big sorry for Dirk Marinus, if he read this from his retreated site? Yes, I understand, if you are born near Leeuwaarden...
  
  Twin, living yet a lot of time near Bruges, that medieval city, that much loved by British tourists...and many others... Lived in my childhood near Ghent and a whole time in Ostend, that other British city.
  
  Warm regards,
  
  Paul.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Anglo-Norman (U1965016) on Sunday, 2nd March 2008

  Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:15 GMT, in reply to PaulRyckier in message 6
  
  The Museum of Antiquities at Newcastle University (but open to the public) has an excellent range of items from Hadrian's Wall. It's closing within the next year or so, though, and the collection is being moved to the new Great North Museum (just over the road).

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