Yesterday we had our first meeting with the lovely (and very helpful!) staff at the Corinium museum to begin planning our Spring/Summer 2015 exhibition on Roman food. The collections team, composed of Alison Brookes, James Harris and Heather Dawson, told us all about their newly reorganized collections and the museum’s large storehouse at Northleach. We will be selecting objects from both the museum and the storehouse, along with some material on loan from the British Museum, to put on display. After planning a trip to check out the boxes of material at Northleach (a very exciting prospect for archaeologists) the meeting ended with a lively discussion about chickens and pine cones!
The team then took us on a tour of our exhibition space and we discovered that we have quite a lot of it. When all the important details such as panel space, glass cases and power outlet locations had been recorded, we were then taken on a tour of Corinium museum; and what a museum it is! The Roman section is extensive and they have an excellent display of all sorts of Roman objects from coins to ceramics to bronze spoons to mosaics. It is clear that the Roman town of Corinium was quite wealthy. The dioramas are simultaneously entertaining and informative (especially the full size Roman soldier on horseback and the man working in the butcher shop). We were then shown the reconstructed Roman garden that has recently been cleaned up by a dedicated volunteer. As part of our exhibition we hope to plant herbs that were used to flavour food during Roman times.
Checking out our exhibition space.
After the meeting, two of us food for thoughters (Erica Rowan and Lisa Lodwick) ventured to the nearby Chedworth Roman villa. That is a site definitely worth seeing, not only for the well preserved mosaics but also for its beautiful setting in the Cotswold countryside.
We are heading to Northleach on October 22 and so stay tuned for a full report on our storehouse adventure!
Mosaic from the baths at Chedworth villa.
Not Just Dormice - Food for Thought 