TV historian helps tell more of Colchester's Roman heritage
'Decoding The Roman Dead' opens at Colchester Museum on 24 July
Colchester Museums have joined forces with historian Dan Snow’s History Hit Network.
They will be working on several exciting projects that showcase Colchester’s rich heritage and history.
One of the first projects the teams will working on is a new exhibition called ‘Decoding The Roman Dead’.
‘Decoding The Roman Dead’ will be investigating the first people that lived and died in Roman Britain’s capital city.
Archaeologists and specialists have researched to ‘decode’ the hidden stories of Colchester’s residents during the time of invasion, construction, and dramatic change.
The exhibition will showcase the results at Colchester Castle, which will open on the 24 July and run until 6 January 2022.
Following the success of the daily podcast, Dan Snow’s History Hit, there have been four new podcasts added to the History Hit Network in the last 12 months, including The Ancients, which focuses on ancient history.
In a new episode of The Ancients, to be released prior to the exhibition opening, the team will be talking to Colchester Museums curators Glynn Davis and Carolina Lima.
They will be discussing the identity and lives of Roman Colchester’s earliest inhabitants and unlocking the world of life and death almost 2,000 years ago.
This is the first time that Roman cremation burials have undergone the scientific technique of isotope analysis to reveal where people grew up and travelled from in the Empire.
Dan Snow and the team will be heading to Colchester Castle over the summer to film footage of the Decoding The Roman Dead exhibition.
Cabinet member for economy, business and heritage, Darius Laws said:
“Colchester Museums’ collaboration with History Hit is an incredible opportunity for viewers across the country to understand more about Britain’s First City and the importance of Colchester in the history books. Let's encourage people to come and visit our historic town this summer.”
Dan Snow of History Hit added:
“Colchester was one of the first places I ever filmed, when I started at the BBC 20 years ago. I was there looking into the story of Boudicca's revolt. I was so impressed by the deep connection with Roman Britain, but there was frustration because, for all the archaeology, there was still a sense of so much more to be discovered and deciphered.
“Decades later I'm honoured to be involved, as experts do just that. Cutting edge technology is being deployed to tell us more about the inhabitants of Roman Colchester. I can't wait to learn more about who they were, where they came from and how they lived.”
For more information, visit https://colchester.cimuseums.org.uk/DTRD/