One of the most fascinating Roman discoveries of the beginning of the 3you century found on the Carlisle site, near Hadrian’s Wall, is a beautifully carved statue head and a beautiful stone depicting Silvanus, God of the Forest.
“Beautifully precise artwork”
There is also a set of rings decorated with a stone depicting a rat chewing a poppy seed, carved with impressive precision despite its small size.
Frank Giecco, a leading expert on Roman Britain and head of the dig, told the MailOnline newspaper that these artefacts “literally came out of the ground”.
The area has already been recognized as a gold mine, having yielded more than 5,000 important finds during excavations by Giecco and his archaeological team.
As reported by MailOnline in 2023, a retired nurse discovered two Roman sculpted heads of 2you century, voluntarily participated in the excavation.
Carolyn Veit had rookie luck on the first archaeological dig of her life, discovering a sculpture believed to represent Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune.
The finds are believed to have been part of an impressive fountain or sculpture that stood in a luxurious Roman bath, on the grounds of Carlisle Cricket Club today.
It is located next to the most important Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall, the northern border of the Empire which housed an elite cavalry unit.
Earlier research by Giecco’s team included an impressive collection of some 70 semi-precious stones, which were found in the bath’s drains, nearly 2,000 years after they were lost by their original owners.
They were engraved, semi-precious and precious stones, between 3 and 15 cm long.
They were worn by men and women and even at that time – the second or third century – were valuable objects, as their decoration was an indication of excellent craftsmanship.
The natural glue that held them to the ring is thought to have been weakened by the steam from the baths causing them to fall off. The owners were no doubt upset to find they had lost them.
What the findings show about life in Roman Britain
The earliest discoveries include hundreds of coins and more than 30 tables made of bone and other materials, reflecting the Romans’ love of board games, hundreds of hairpins and needles lost in the drain by their owners, testifying that the baths were also accessible . to women.
The last excavation reached a depth of about three meters, on the north side of the road that passes in front of the bath, about 20 meters north.
The sculpture with the head and figure of a woman is studied. Whether or not it represents the form of a goddess has not been determined.
Professor Martin Henig, leading expert on Roman art at the University of Oxford, explains about the Silvanus stone: “The style of cutting the stone is unique and comes down to the gem workshop Carlisle».
«Most gems from this lab are opaque red jasper, but this particular one is translucent, golden carnelian that shines.”
“It represents Silvanus, the God of the forest and wild nature, not at all common in Roman Britain, but there is a temple in Bewcastle which is dedicated to the local version of the god, Cocidius (his Latin name Bewcastleit is Fanum I was cooked)».
«There is in fact a gem of hers in the Carlisle which portrays Silvanus as a hunter. Our Silvanus also has a dog, but his main activity is a woodcutter and pruner.”
«In one hand he holds a thick branch carved with six, and in the other hand a six. The finest cut is seen in his hair and headband. I believe that the stonecutter will be particularly pleased with this wonderful and special gem, which chronologically dates back to the period of the other gems, at the beginning of the third century AD.”
“Other new discoveries include at least two mysterious platforms in a square area. According to one theory, perhaps this is where the rituals took place. According to a another, this composed part one mausoleum».
Mr Giecco said of the square: “It’s probably three by three metres. It is or base of something. It forms enigma. We don’t know what it is yet. Most curious of all, we still have masses of beautifully decorated Sami pottery, – a kind of beautiful, Roman pottery of the period.’
“These are beautiful vessels depicting Aphrodite and Eros, the form of some goddess, and a coin depicting the emperor Andrianus – the most beautiful coin we have discovered since we began studying the site,” remarked Mr Giecco.
“A place that still holds surprises”
“We also have evidence of a large log house that overlooked the countryside but, partly because of the bad weather, we have to wait until the next excavation, if the funding is available.”
Giecco explained why the recent findings excite him: “This point always surprises me.”