First Appeared: Inverness Courier, Friday 16th October 2015
Objects Reveal North Links With Roman Empire
ANCIENT communities living around the Beauly and Moray firths were at the heart of the north's sophisticated relationship with the Roman Empire, a new collection of artefacts at Inverness Museum reveals.
Research into the objects, many of which have not been seen in public before, suggests that far from being disinterested in the north of Scotland the Romans knew the region intimately and were keen to forge peace between the two civilisations.
The Moving Beyond the Frontier exhibition, which will run throughout the year, features a range of high status objects including Roman jewellery and banquet tableware suggesting that high-ranking officials and diplomats met with north tribal leaders, held luxurious feats and offered expensive gifts as bribes to negotiate peace between them.
Cait McCullagh, curator of Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, said "It has long been the idea that because there is no evidence of Roman settlement in the Highlands that the Romans had no interest in the community of people who lived here and the resources that they held.
"But in facet many of the objects that we are finding, and much of the research that is being done into those objects, is telling us a different story and that there was a very sophisticated relationship between the north of Scotland and the people living here and the people in the Roman Empire.
"What we are finding is Rome was very interested in brokering peace with people in the north. The objects we are finding are very high status, they are real treasures. Many of them have exotic origin in the Roman Empire.
"We have got a wine dipper which is a ladle used for dipping wine and that was found in Auldearn. The idea that people were drinking wine from the Roman Empire in Auldearn 2000 years ago is pretty special and shows that the kinds of relations were between very high-status tribal leaders here in the north with generals, emissaries and diplomats from Rome.
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| Example of some of the finds Credit Inverness Courier |
"The key thing is Rome wanted to be in relationship with these high-status tribal leaders because they wanted the peace they could buy beyond the frontier."
Ms McCullagh added that the Celtic objects made locally were also high-quality pieces and suggested the north communities were also sophisticated: "We don't mind having a relationship to Rome,but we are still the people of the north of Scotland and we have our own identity as well."
"They are very strong statements of a non-Roman identity. This is a society that is extremely sophisticated, that understand the power of art and the use of art to express an identity that;s strong and powerful in the face of a strong and powerful empire.
"They are also using materials that's come through international trade and the art shows that."
The most recent find is the Belladrum coin horde of Roman silver coins from the first and second century, which were found by metal detecting between 2009 and 2014 as part of the clear up after the music festical. It is believed it was a one-off payment made by Roman diplomats to local tribal leaders.
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| Eric Soane Credit: Inverness Courier & Gary Anthony |
Tornagrain detectorist Eric Soane discovered the coins and was delighted to see them feature in the collection.
He said: "It is great to see that things you have dug up have really counted to the knowledge of the history of the area and they are on show for everybody to see."
Next May Inverness Museum will be welcoming objects form the National Museum of Scotland and form the British Museum's Celts exhibition for use in its own collection.
You can read more about Eric's finds
by clicking here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
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| The Original Story First Appeared In the Inverness Courier 16th Ocotber 2015 Credit Inverness Courier, Leah Williamson, Gary Anthony |
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