A Grand Day Out at the Great North Museum - Inscriptions/Epigraphy Course

 Here we are gathering for a day's course on 'Learning to read Roman inscriptions' at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle upon Tyne on a fantastically sunny day...with Lindsay Allason-Jones OBE

Great North Museum: Hancock in the sun

W & L enjoying the sun before the course

In the small clore conference room

Learning how to read Roman inscriptions

On the campus of Newcastle University looking at recent inscriptions and how they are written

"Now what does it say?" "What is it telling us?"

'Mens agitat molem' = 'The mind moves the matter' (Virgil)

Action photo: Lindsay Allason-Jones showing us what to look at and how to interpret it

How do we look at inscriptions? 'how can we apply this knowledge to how the Romans used them?'

The Museum of Antiquities of Newcastle University used to be in this area until it was demolished and replaced by The Great North Museum: Hancock

Another Lovely Long Latin inscription

Here is Lindsay pointing out a salient feature

Back in the lecture room soaking up the facts and the jokes

We finished off the day by looking around the Roman Gallery at the GNM: looking at the inscriptions from the Brocolitia Mithraeum; altars and tombstones; various inscriptions - Hadrian's Wall

Lindsay makes a comment on one particular inscription (we had looked at this previously on slides)

The famous 'Hadrianic' inscription (RIB 1637) at GNM from Hadrian's Wall
This inscription is important as it proves conclusively that Hadrian's Wall was built under Hadrian's orders. The name of the governor Nepos dates the stone to AD122-124 (found in 1715 at Hotbank Milecastle No.38)

W has spotted something!

Lindsay vividly related the lives and stories of the peoples who inhabited the area 2000 years ago

W & L are pleased with their progress over the day

Lindsay has dubbed this dedication slab found in 1744 at High Rochester  (RIB1279) 'The Times Crossword Inscription'

Now we feel ready to tackle more inscriptions when we are out and about in the museums

 and sites

 along Hadrian's Wall like this one (RIB 1713) about Cornelius Victor (his replica tombstone, the original one is at EH Chesters Museum) at Vindolanda.

The next 'Hands-on-Latin' learning to reading Latin inscriptions course will be at The Great North Museum: Hancock on 12th September.Please contact me if you would like further details to discuss this or anything else! :-) vale for now! Hadriana/Catherine