Trimontium Trust & Museum

two images of Butser ancient farm one under the sunset the sky appears in shades of pink and purple, the other one the sky is blue and the shadows are stronger

two images of Butser ancient farm one under the sunset the sky appears in shades of pink and purple, the other one the sky is blue and the shadows are stronger

At #Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, replica #IronAge buildings are reconstructed from excavated plans. Crops are grown from ancient varieties & livestock selected to resemble early breeds, allowing agricultural practices to be tested in real conditions.

#ExperimentalArchaeology #RomanBritain

Misty Eildons; 4 depictions of boars in Roman sculpture, bear figurine made of jet and Iron Age boars

Misty Eildons; 4 depictions of boars in Roman sculpture, bear figurine made of jet and Iron Age boars

Misty Eildons; 4 depictions of boars in Roman sculpture, bear figurine made of jet and Iron Age boars

Misty Eildons; 4 depictions of boars in Roman sculpture, bear figurine made of jet and Iron Age boars

When #Roman troops entered Caledonia, wolves, boar & bears still lived here.
Within a year, Caledonian bears were taken south to the Colosseum...

On #WorldWildlifeDay, we reflect on how much landscapes change — and why wildlife protection matters.

#WildScotland #RomanScotland

Courtesy of Swarafulk; https://www.facebook.com/swarafulk/

#OTD The Gothic troops led by #Vitigis laid siege to #Rome by setting seven different camps around the city walls. The siege is going to last more than a year.

Depiction of a woman and child on a medallion; statuette and statue of JUNO

Depiction of a woman and child on a medallion; statuette and statue of JUNO

Depiction of a woman and child on a medallion; statuette and statue of JUNO

Happy Matronalia! Ancient festival celebrated on 1st Mar in honour of Juno Lucina, #Roman goddess of childbirth & motherhood. Women took part in rituals at Juno's temple, they were allowed to wear their hair loose & received gifts from their daughters & husbands.
Household slaves had the day off.

Mosaic of the months depicting March, Coin and sculptures of Mars god of war

Mosaic of the months depicting March, Coin and sculptures of Mars god of war

Mosaic of the months depicting March, Coin and sculptures of Mars god of war

Mosaic of the months depicting March, Coin and sculptures of Mars god of war

Happy #March — or mensis Martius!
The #Kalends of March marked the original #Roman New Year. The sacred fire was renewed 🔥 and the farming, sailing & military seasons began.
Named for #Mars, god of war & legendary father of Romulus & Remus, making him a divine ancestor of the Roman people.

After the #Romans arrived in #Britain, hare bones appear first start to appear in middens. After 410 AD, brown #hare populations fell dramatically suggesting they had been primarily kept and farmed rather than hunted as game animals.

📷 ©TrimontiumTrust
To learn more: zurl.co/Nbsme , zurl.co/JnUfW

relief of chariot races and intaglio depicting Mars god of war

relief of chariot races and intaglio depicting Mars god of war

Today was the first the #Equirria, an ancient #Roman #festival of horse & chariot racing. The two events were held in the Campus Martius on Feb 27 & Mar 14. Believed to have been founded by Romulus in honour of Mars, god of war.

Chariot races zurl.co/0b0YS
Mars intaglio, 2nd C AD zurl.co/P3ZNI

Image of the bone die described

A #Roman bone die found at #Trimontium. The die is very similar to a modern example. The points are marked by incised circles with holes in the centres and someone last threw it sometime between AD80-100. This is part of the #NationalMuseumsScotland collection.

The first picture shows the entrance of a wooden roundhouse, positioned as if the viewer were walking on the bridge leading to the doorway. The second image is of a small island in a loch, with a manmade land bridge leading to it.

The first picture shows the entrance of a wooden roundhouse, positioned as if the viewer were walking on the bridge leading to the doorway. The second image is of a small island in a loch, with a manmade land bridge leading to it.

#Crannogs were built as stone or wooden islands in lochs & bogs. Most date to the Late Bronze Age & Iron Age, but the earliest example, Eilean Dòmhnuill, is Neolithic!

📷
1) Replica crannog ©Carol Walker, CC
2) Eilean Dòmhnuill ©Richard Law, CC


#ancientScotland #BronzeAge #Neolithic #IronAge

Busts of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius; Busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Virus, Antonine Wall from the air and Hadrian's Wall and Turret 44b from the air

Busts of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius; Busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Virus, Antonine Wall from the air and Hadrian's Wall and Turret 44b from the air

Busts of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius; Busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Virus, Antonine Wall from the air and Hadrian's Wall and Turret 44b from the air

Busts of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius; Busts of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Virus, Antonine Wall from the air and Hadrian's Wall and Turret 44b from the air

#OTD 25 Feb AD138 #Hadrian adopted #AntoninusPius as his successor, on condition he adopt Marcus Aurelius & Lucius Verus.
Antoninus’ reign saw peace, prosperity, legal reforms, & the building of the #AntonineWall. He was succeeded by his adopted sons as co-emperors in AD161.

#RomanEmpire #History

Vintage photo of the excavations and colorised version

Vintage photo of the excavations and colorised version

From the 1905–1910 excavations at #Trimontium.
Under the direction of James Curle, the fort was excavated continuously for five years. This photo shows one of the unnamed workers beside the #Roman wall foundations — a reminder that discovery relied on many hands.

Colourised version by Lisa Cowan.

The image shows a greenish colored armlet with red and yellow pigmentation on a small decoration on its side.

The Pitkelloney armlets, found as a pair at Pitkelloney, Drummond Castle, date to AD 50-200.

These beautiful pieces are part of the British Museum collection! photo credit: ©The Trustees of the British Museum, CC

#ironage #scotlandlandscape #metalwork #brass #enamel #britishmuseum

On the 23rd of February, a festival called the Terminalia occurred. Boundary stones between properties were decorated and endowed with offerings of food or wine. All in order to honour of the god of boundary markers, Terminus.

📷 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

To Learn More: zurl.co/gGZdR

Bust of Marcus Aurelius and quotes of Marcus Aurelius

Bust of Marcus Aurelius and quotes of Marcus Aurelius

Bust of Marcus Aurelius and quotes of Marcus Aurelius

Bust of Marcus Aurelius and quotes of Marcus Aurelius

📖🌿For #WorldThinkingDay: #MarcusAurelius (AD 121–180), #Roman emperor & #Stoic philosopher.Amid war and plague, he wrote the #Meditations, arguing that virtue and duty — not power or fame — define a good life. His Stoic principles remain strikingly relevant today.

#Stoicism #RomanHistory

Roman fresco showing ancestral ritual; statuette of a lar

Roman fresco showing ancestral ritual; statuette of a lar

Happy #Caristia - This #Roman holiday was held #OTD 22 Feb at the end of #Parentalia. Families gathered together celebrating family love & offer food & incense to the #Lares (household deities). Disagreements were set aside.

📷
Pompei fresco depicting offerings

Statuette of Lar, Getty.

Harry photoshopped on an image of the remaining of a wall in Catterick/Cataractonium

Harry photoshopped on an image of the remaining of a wall in Catterick/Cataractonium

Harry the #Roman is at Cataractonium!
Founded in the late 1st c AD on #DereStreet, it grew from fort to thriving roadside town. Little survives above ground, excavations reveal streets, bathhouses & rich finds.
“Not all frontiers leave walls behind — some leave stories buried in the earth.”

The first picture is of a small sculpture of a guardian deity holding a cornucopia. The second picture is of a large, marble sarcophagus with a statue of a man and woman reclining on its lid. The third and final picture is of another marble sarcophagus engraves with wreaths and garlands.

The first picture is of a small sculpture of a guardian deity holding a cornucopia. The second picture is of a large, marble sarcophagus with a statue of a man and woman reclining on its lid. The third and final picture is of another marble sarcophagus engraves with wreaths and garlands.

The first picture is of a small sculpture of a guardian deity holding a cornucopia. The second picture is of a large, marble sarcophagus with a statue of a man and woman reclining on its lid. The third and final picture is of another marble sarcophagus engraves with wreaths and garlands.

Happy Feralia! This #Roman festival celebrated the Manes, the spirits of the dead. Offerings at the tombs of the ancestors included wreaths, wine soaked bread, salt, grain, & violets. Marriages were prohibited.
📷
Lar with cornucopia, Axatiana, Roman Spain
Sarcophagi from the Louvre &MetMuseum.

Collage of Roman depictions of pets: cat mosaics, dog figurine, fresco, brooch and mosaic depicting birds; tombstones depicting children with small pets; paw print on a roman tile; collage of dogs visiting Trimontium

Collage of Roman depictions of pets: cat mosaics, dog figurine, fresco, brooch and mosaic depicting birds; tombstones depicting children with small pets; paw print on a roman tile; collage of dogs visiting Trimontium

Collage of Roman depictions of pets: cat mosaics, dog figurine, fresco, brooch and mosaic depicting birds; tombstones depicting children with small pets; paw print on a roman tile; collage of dogs visiting Trimontium

Collage of Roman depictions of pets: cat mosaics, dog figurine, fresco, brooch and mosaic depicting birds; tombstones depicting children with small pets; paw print on a roman tile; collage of dogs visiting Trimontium

🐾 #LoveYourPetDay
Romans loved their pets —dogs, cats, & birds were cherished companions. At #Trimontium, a roof tile bears the pawprint of a wandering dog 🐕 over 1,900 years ago. Pets appear on children's tombstones, & some memorials were just for animals.

#Trimontium is dog friendly!🧡

Image of Hadrian's Wall and the Vallum as described in the post.

Sunset along #HadriansWall 🌅
Built from AD 122, the #Wall and its #Vallum ran almost coast to coast. The Vallum — a deep ditch flanked by banks, 6m wide × 3m deep — marked Rome’s northern military frontier.
Over 1,900 years on, the line of empire still shapes the land.

📷 © #TrimontiumTrust

Busts of Septimius Severys and Clodius Albinus, map showing territories of the two rivals; aureus coin of Septimius Severys

Busts of Septimius Severys and Clodius Albinus, map showing territories of the two rivals; aureus coin of Septimius Severys

Busts of Septimius Severys and Clodius Albinus, map showing territories of the two rivals; aureus coin of Septimius Severys

Busts of Septimius Severys and Clodius Albinus, map showing territories of the two rivals; aureus coin of Septimius Severys

#OTD AD197 the Battle of #Lugdunum was fought between #SeptimiusSeverus & Clodius #Albinus. Regarded as one of the largest, bloodiest battles between #Roman forces, Severus ultimately won due to his inclusion of #cavalry.


📷
Busts of Severus & Albinus
Map of the rivals' territory
Aureus of Severus

Image of Eildon Hill North in the snow, the Trimontium Stone and the LEaderfoot Viaduct in the snow; and a blank interpretation board.

Image of Eildon Hill North in the snow, the Trimontium Stone and the LEaderfoot Viaduct in the snow; and a blank interpretation board.

Image of Eildon Hill North in the snow, the Trimontium Stone and the LEaderfoot Viaduct in the snow; and a blank interpretation board.

Image of Eildon Hill North in the snow, the Trimontium Stone and the LEaderfoot Viaduct in the snow; and a blank interpretation board.

#Eildon Hill North dusted with snow just days ago. The site of #Trimontium now quietly grazed by sheep —once home to a vast #Roman fort.
If you’ve walked the site recently, you may have noticed the interpretation boards gone…
Keep your eyes open — new ones are coming soon.

📷TrimontiumTrust

The first picture shows several hills with a sparse forest on them, and a winding road; there are additional hills in the distance. The second image shows an arial view of rolling, grass covered hills.

The first picture shows several hills with a sparse forest on them, and a winding road; there are additional hills in the distance. The second image shows an arial view of rolling, grass covered hills.

#IronAgeWednesday

The Eildon Hills, where one of the largest #hillforts in Scotland would have stood atop Eildon Hill North (📷 the Cicerone zurl.co/iQeOO )

The 2nd picture is of Cow Castle hillfort, which you can learn about on Trimontium’s website! zurl.co/1ulQL

#ironage #dronearchaeology

Image of a golden coin of Jovian

#OTD 364AD #Emperor #Jovian was unexpectedly discovered dead. Speculation of the cause included poisoning from the fumes of freshly painted walls, the burning of charcoal, indigestion & even murder – as the peace treaty he negotiated with the Sassanians was seen as a humiliation.

📷Solidus of Jovian

Image 1: one of the cats living at the Colosseum; credits: https://zurl.co/2St2J

Image 1: one of the cats living at the Colosseum; credits: https://zurl.co/2St2J

Image 1: one of the cats living at the Colosseum; credits: https://zurl.co/2St2J

Image 1: one of the cats living at the Colosseum; credits: https://zurl.co/2St2J

#CatDayinItaly Did you know that the #Roman archaeological sites of the #Colosseum and the Imperial Forii are hosting around about 200 cats in a cat colony? They are considered the happiest all over the city and they are cared for by a number of volunteers.

#CatDay

Illustration of a whale and mosaic of Justinian I

Illustration of a whale and mosaic of Justinian I

Today is #WorldWhaleDay! In the 6th century, one particular whale caused significant problems for seafarers in the Eastern #Roman Empire, under the reign of #Justinian I. Porphyrios, believed to have been a sperm whale, attacked and sank ships of varying size and type over the course of fifty years.

Dolphin brooch with red and blue enamel

Dolphin #brooch from #Trimontium decorated with blue & red enamel & shows cultural exchange between the #Romans & the #Celtic peoples of the #ScottishBorders . 
The technique used was champlevé enamelling. The adoption of enamelling by the Romans was widespread across Britain.

📷©TrimontiumTrust

Representation of Lupercalia - engraving - , and the Capitoline wolf sculpture

Representation of Lupercalia - engraving - , and the Capitoline wolf sculpture

#Lupercalia, a purification & fertility #festival was celebrated in Ancient #Rome from 13th-15th February. The name was derived from the she-wolf who found & cared for Romulus & Remus.

1) Representation of Lupercalia, Wikimedia Commons
2) Lupa Capitolina

This picture features a medieval manuscript drawing of a man standing with several soldiers, and overseeing the construction of a building.

This French medieval manuscript is a little younger than the Roman Empire, when Saint Valentine was alive, but it depicts the Roman Saint Valentine and his followers.

#valentinesday #loveday #romanhistory #ancienthistory #romanos #rome #antiquity #historytidbits #romanempire

Romans wore red,
Natives were blue,
Conquering Caledonia
Was quite tricky to do!*

(*and they didn’t! Well, sort of….it depends who you ask….)

❤️#HappyValentinesDay from the edge of the #Roman Empire❤️ #Trimontium

Roman tomb with seating; Roman grave relief

Roman tomb with seating; Roman grave relief

13 Feb - marked the commencement of Parentalia, a domestic & familial 9-day #Roman festival in honour of ancestors. Whilst mainly private, the first day was marked by a public ceremony.

1) Tomb in Pompeii
2) Grave relief, National Museum of Copenhagen.

#roman #otd #festival #ancientrome