This month we are going to look back at the ambitious installation of Tullie House’s flagship Roman Frontier Gallery.
Back in AD 72 Emperor Vespasian ordered a Roman fort to be built in Carlisle. Fifty years later, Emperor Hadrian ordered his wall to be built. This became the symbol for the frontier zone of the western edge of the Roman Empire.
Along with a 70-mile wall, Hadrian also ordered a new fort to be built in Stanwix to house his crack cavalry unit.
Today, Tullie House stands on the same site as Vespasian’s first fort.
The Roman Frontier Gallery explores Roman Carlisle and life along the wall. Residents of Carlisle may remember the dramatic installation of this gallery which required huge slabs of Roman stonework to be winched in by crane.
Although the gallery is approaching its 10th anniversary, it is still described as one of the most thought-provoking and provocative Roman galleries across Hadrian’s Wall.
This is a testament to the careful planning and careful considerations that went into the development of the space, as well as the tremendous quality of the objects displayed in the gallery.
n More information about the significance of the gallery can be heard on the podcast by Elsa Price, Curator of Human History at Tullie House. Find this at www.tulliehouse.co.uk/roman-frontier
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