Collection: Corinium Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Archaeology Collection

  Among the museum’s most notable artefacts is the acrostic. This famous piece of graffito is scratched on to the surface of a piece of 2nd century AD wall plaster and is in the form of a palindrome. It is perhaps the single most important piece of evidence for the spread of Christianity in Roman Britain before the conversion of Constantine I. Only seven examples are known from the Roman world. The collection of Romano-British sculpture, including architectural sculpture, is considered one of the finest and most extensive in the country, numbering over 200 items. It was a centre for artistic achievement and among the finest pieces are: a Corinthian column capital with Bacchic figures carved in high relief; the tombstone of Sextus Valerius Genialis, one of the earliest military tombstones from Roman Britain; a head of Mercury from a cult statue; the head and shoulders of a river god, a powerful portrayal of a male in the early middle age; a votive high relief of Mercury; a sculpture depicting three mother goddesses and their infants; the Dannicus tombstone; and the Septimius stone, a 4th century piece with an inscription mentioning Lucius Septimius as governor of Britannia Prima, and thereby important as evidence for the administrative division of Britain in the Roman period. Cirencester was home of two schools of mosaicists during the 4th century and both are represented in the collection. There are five complete pavements in the museum: the Seasons mosaic; the Hare mosaic is a significant example of the Saltire school, with its unique portrayal of a hare as its centre piece; the Hunting Dogs mosaic; the Barton Farm Orpheus mosaic is a fine example of the Orpheus school; and the Kingscote Venus pavement. The archaeology collection at Cirencester is extremely important. Its greatest strength is its magnificent Romano-British collection which is well provenanced to Cirencester and the Cotswolds. Cirencester, known in the Roman period as Corinium, was a regional capital and the collection is rich in all aspects of Romano-British material. In addition to the aspects which are described as Strengths, the domestic Romano-British collection is very strong with important stratified collections of ceramics, metal work, gemstones and other small finds; the collection of finds from cemeteries is also notable. Important archaeological material of other periods is well represented in the collection, most notably perhaps the Saxon cemetery finds from Butler’s Field Lechlade, unique in Britain as the only pagan cemetery known to be overlain by its Christian successor; Barton Farm; and Kemble. There are finds from Cirencester Abbey and artefacts attesting to the importance of the wool trade, a major source of wealth and influence for the area throughout the Middle Ages.

  Subjects

  Archaeology; Archaeology (settlement)

  Numismatics Collection

  The most important aspect of the numismatic collection at Corinium Museum is the Roman coin collection, which is exceptional for its size and its local provenance.

  Subjects

  Numismatics

  Social History Collection

  The social history collection is principally of Victorian and Edwardian date and ranges from domestic and social to industrial material mainly from the Cotswolds.

  Subjects

  Social History

  Costume and Textile Collection

  The costume collection is all locally provenanced and reflects both town and country life, with a good collection of day clothes and smocks from the Cotswolds.

  Subjects

  Costume and Textile

  Geology Collection

  This is a collection of geological material of Cotswold origin.

  Subjects

  Geology

  Archives Collection

  Photographs, documents and ephemera illustrate life in the Cotswolds, local architecture, topography, and notable people and events. The material ranges in date mainly from 1880 to the present.

  Subjects

  Archives

  Other

  Subjects

  Fine Art; Music

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC