Archeological dig returns to Carlisle to unearth mysteries of Roman bathhouse
The award-winning Uncovering Roman Carlisle (URC) project is set to return to the city's Roman Bathhouse to discover more of the remaining mysteries of the site.
The bathhouse is the largest know building on Hadrian's wall.
The project has uncovered thousands of significant finds and hidden treasures from the Roman Empire.
The excavation at Carlisle Cricket Club will take for a week place between Saturday 11May and Saturday 15 June.
Since the project started in 2021 more than 2,800 significant finds have been discovered by hundreds of volunteers.
It has won multiple national awards and has been gaining attention from around the world, featuring on the most recent series of Digging for Britain with Prof Alice Roberts.
Significant finds
A lump of Tyrian Purple, a rare archaeological object, thought to be the only one of its type in the Roman Empire, was discovered as part of the excavation last year.
The soft mysterious purple substance was discovered in the drains at a Roman Bathhouse,
It is a paint pigment made from thousands of crushed seashells from the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.
It’s believed to be the only known example in Northern Europe, and possibly the only example of solid unused paint pigment anywhere in the Roman Empire.
The year before, two giant Roman heads were uncovered by on volunteer and experts described it as a "find of a lifetime".
Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places, said: “Following the recent news of the Tyrian Purple, there’s a real buzz about the site and it’s going to be fascinating to see what else is uncovered. “The upcoming excavation will once again provide opportunities for Cumberland residents to take part in archaeology and heritage, or for groups, schools, and individuals to visit a live archaeological excavation. “I look forward to visiting the dig again this year and meeting everyone involved in this exciting project.”
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