Colchester Museums course funded by Arts Council England
Arts Council England has part-funded the course showing research from Colchester Museums and the University of Reading
A new course has been launched by Colchester Museums which throws light on the early history of Britain.
Arts Council England has part-funded the new course which will draw upon research that Colchester Museums and the University of Reading have undertaken over 2021.
The free online course is aimed at people interested in history and archaeology, particularly Roman Britain.
Darius Laws, Cabinet member for economy, business and heritage at Colchester Borough Council said: “Participants will be able to step back in time and uncover what life in Colchester may have looked like more than 2,000 years ago.
“Participants will be learning more about life and death in Britain’s First Roman City. The Romans continue to fascinate the public and this course will provide students with a fresh new angle on life in Roman Britain.”
The online course offers the chance to be among the first to study 2,000-year-old cremated remains from Roman Britain and to learn about the origins of the people of Colchester, its first capital.
Colchester Museums and the University of Reading’s Department of Archaeology are set to launch Dead Interesting: Uncovering Roman Britain in Old Museum Collections on the leading social learning platform FutureLearn.
It is aimed at an 18-30 audience who are interested in studying archaeology at Undergraduate or Postgraduate level.
The course will also appeal to anyone with a keen interest in history and archaeology, particularly Roman Britain.
Participants can learn in their own time, at their own pace, on any device with an internet connection.
The course is designed to last two weeks with a recommended study of two hours per week.
The research team has applied new archaeological techniques by examining cremation burials from Colchester Museum’s collections.
This has enabled curators and academics from both institutions to discover more about the lives of some of the earliest Romano-Britons.
During the course, participants will join the research team to uncover incredible facts about a single individual whose life ultimately ended in Roman Colchester.
They will also be able to use their new osteoarchaeological knowledge to build up a profile of who this person was – their age, sex, origin and status.
The course will feature behind-the-scenes videography showing expert analysis filmed at Colchester Museums stores, as well as articles written by the wider research team.
Glynn Davis, Senior Collections and Learning Curator at Colchester Museums said: “This is an incredible opportunity for individuals to get beneath the skin of Roman Britain. Who were the individuals that ultimately ended their lives in Roman Colchester?
“Using cutting-edge osteoarchaeological techniques, we have been able to work alongside our peers at the University of Reading to truly bring Roman Colchester to life.”
Professor Hella Eckardt, Professor of Archaeology, University of Reading added: “We have long-known about mobility and migration, from inscriptions on stone, but this course allows learners to uncover the information that can be unlocked from human remains and artefacts, painting a much richer picture of what life was like at the edge of the Roman Empire in the first century AD.”
Learners also have the chance to earn a Certificate of Achievement to demonstrate their completion of the course, once eligible. They will also have the opportunity to pay for upgraded access on the platform, for as long as it exists.
The course launched on Monday (12 July)
For further information, go to www.cimuseums.org.uk or https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/dead-interesting