There are two opportunities to come and visit Cotswold Archaeology’s archaeologists as they carry out a dig within historic Towcester. The dig is located just north of Bury Mount, the remains of the Norman motte at Moat Lane. The dig however has revealed evidence for Towcester’s Roman antecedent, the small town of Lactodurum.

On Thursday 30 May (4.00 – 7.00pm) and on Saturday 1 June (10.00am to 2.00pm), there will be opportunities to visit the excavations, meet the archaeologists and discover what has been found.

The archaeological dig is being undertaken on behalf of Morgan Sindall Ltd and South Northamptonshire Council in advance of the Moat Lane redevelopment.

As the dig progresses, we will post updates on our website. You can also read about new discoveries as they happen on Facebook and Twitter.

Getting to the open day (or click here to view in a larger map):

Find out more, including details of how to book and the full programme…

The app includes an enhanced Museum Tour, Town Tour and a Learning Zone, perfect for a visitor to Cirencester, locals wanting to find out more about their town, or anyone interested in Roman history. The Town Tour uses GPS navigation to pin point your location within the town as it is now and as it was laid out by the Romans. The main Roman sites are represented including the amphitheatre and forum. Supported by artists’ impressions of what the buildings looked like, visitors can hear Cotswold Archaeology’s Chief Executive Neil Holbrook talk about previous excavations and what it was like to live in the Roman town. You can also follow a walking tour around the town to visit the different sites.

The app is available to purchase in the apple app store and google play store for just £2.50. All money made on downloads will be put back in to developing the Museum’s digital interpretation.

The Bingham Hall is located here:

At the time of discovery we knew this was a rare and important find, and accordingly it was sent off for specialist conservation work. This is now complete and it has just been returned to Cirencester. Our Senior Finds Officer Ed McSloy has also been able to find out some more about the figurine. We can now see that the body of the cockerel is hollow; the wing plate and tail made separately and soldered in place. The ‘composite’ construction saved on metal and was more suited to the enamelling process.

Only eight similar cockerel figurines are known from the Roman world, including four from Britain. The similarities in construction and decoration suggest that they were made at roughly the same time and could have come from the same workshop. Our example is the only one from Britain to have come from a grave and the only one from any location to have survived with a tail. The two which are closest in form are from Cologne in Germany and Buchten in the Netherlands. In these examples the enamelling survives in the original colours of yellow, blue and red and it is probable that the Cirencester example was originally just as brightly coloured. Britain produced some of the finest enamelled objects in the Roman Empire and these were traded as far afield as Germany, France, Spain and Italy. The four enamelled cockerels from the continent all come from Germany and the Low Countries. The Cirencester cockerel probably dates to around the middle of the 2nd century AD.

The cockerel had special significance to the Romans and there is a known connection to the god Mercury. Statues of this god, including one in the Corinium Museum, commonly show a cockerel at the base. The association probably stems from Mercury’s role as the messenger to the gods and that of the cockerel as ‘announcer’ of the new dawn. Mercury was also the ‘herdsman for the dead’, guiding newly deceased souls on their passage to the afterlife. It is therefore possible that the cockerel was an offering by a devotee of Mercury and expresses a parent’s particular concern to ensure safe transit of a loved one into the after world.

The contract has been awarded by the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development, Roads Service. We will be delivering the archaeological works in partnership with Rubicon Heritage.

Click here to take a look.

Ian Barnes has joined as a Project Manager. Ian was formerly a Senior Archaeological Consultant with WSP Environment. He has over 13 years experience of advising on the archaeological implications of a wide variety of complex residential, industrial, infrastructure and recreational developments, both in the UK and internationally. He is already running fieldwork investigations in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and North Wales.

Chris Ellis is a new Senior Project Officer. Chris joins from Wessex Archaeology where he held a similar post for the last 10 years. Chris has huge experience of running major fieldwork investigations in the UK and Middle East, including infrastructure schemes such as the A120 Stansted Airport to Braintree and improvements to the A46 trunk road in Nottinghamshire. He has a particular interest and knowledge of prehistoric and industrial archaeology and comes with a strong list of publications to his name. Chris also has considerable technical expertise in the management of fieldwork health and safety.

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