Oh my word, Magna-ificent
Oh my word, Magna-ificent
Roman Magna is a new project that is about to get underway, and oh man, this looks set to change the history books.
If, like myself, you have a passion for history, then you are in for a real treat as the 5-year excavation gets underway this July.
The project “Roman Magna” takes place literally behind and adjacent to where the Roman Army Museum is sited, which is convenient, as we know.
The Magna Roman Fort is the site where three roads met and was also home to two of the most exotic Roman regiments to have served in Roman Britain, the Syrian archers and the Dalmatian mountain soldiers. I know, it’s exciting.
The town buried there is thought to be larger than the Vindolanda site and just as old. Hence the excitement and the fact that this area has never been excavated before. It is a first, and what comes up could rewrite the history books and tell a thousand tales and more.
The excavation has been made possible thanks to a grant from the National Lottery.
The main driving force behind the project is the impact climate change is having on our cultural heritage. In a nutshell, the land in question to be excavated was marshland, but it is drying out and, as such, exposing organic Roman layers, putting the archaeology at risk.
Recent geoarchaeological survey work has proved beyond doubt that Magna has some, if not the richest, environmental deposits thus far identified at the World Heritage Site.
As part of the project, the Roman Army Museum will see a new purpose-built facility built whereby the Roman Army Museum will run many more activities and events.
So when you come and visit The Roman Army Museum, not only will you be in for a first-class day taking in the many dynamic, interactive exhibits, including the 4D film, which literally takes you back in time where you can see what life on Hadrian’s Wall was like almost 2000 years ago, or visit a school class or a Roman recruitment station where holograms take you on an interactive journey to the past, but you will also see the hundreds of objects on display, many found in the local area.
You can then step outside and see history unfold in front of your very eyes as the past is brought up from the depths to be preserved for the future.
It doesn’t get any more interactive and interesting than that, and as Sonya Galloway from Vindolanda said, “With so much happening here this year, if you are really into history, then we are going to be the place to visit. A really exciting year lies ahead.”
Visit www.vindolanda.com/roman-army-museum
