TOGA-WEARING BEN MILLER OPENS GLADIATORS – A CEMETERY OF SECRETS

Toga Wearing Ben Miller opens Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets at Corinium Museum (lr)
Ben Miller, the Actor, dressed in an authentic toga, and acting as Legate Vespasian, the Roman General that conquered the South West of Britannia, declared Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets exhibition is now OPEN at Corinium Museum, Cirencester, Gloucestershire. This is the first ‘touring’ exhibition at the Museum and runs from 22 October 2022 to 23 April 2023.

Ben comments, “I couldn’t be prouder of this museum. As small and perfectly formed as the town it serves, a place where you can immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the Cotswolds, a local museum that is truly a national treasure. And as if the fascinating Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age, and Roman exhibits weren’t enough, now with added Gladiators.”

Along with Ben Miller, The Ermine Street Guard, and Legio Secunda Augusta – Gladiator re-enactors – added theatre to the evening (21 October 2022), allowing supporters of the Museum to come together to open and launch this unique exhibition. These included Friends of Corinium Museum, President Earl Bathurst, and not forgetting, Honorary Member Ben Miller; representatives from Everyone Active; and The Winstone Trust committee members.

Dr. Ives succinctly sums it up on behalf of the Winstone Trust: “The Winstone Trust is delighted to have helped with funding this special exhibition. The people of Cirencester are blessed with having a small but world-class museum in its midst. This new exhibition is an excellent example of the continuing work done by the Museum to make our history visible and accessible to the people of Cirencester and our visitors. We hope everyone visiting will find the experience both educational and enjoyable.”

Their arrival of these skeletons marks the launch of the Corinium Museum’s Gladiators: A Cemetery of Secrets exhibition, a touring exhibition from The JORVIK Group of Attractions, operators of the award-winning JORVIK Viking Centre.

Dr. Katharine Walker, Museum Director, says, “In keeping with this theme of gladiators is a rich programme of events and activities running over the next 6 months. We have gladiator re-enactment days led by our friends, Legio Secunda Augusta, during the October half term and more throughout the exhibition and look out for gladiator school. We are also proud to work with an award-winning contemporary artist Olivier Jamin to produce British Sign Language videos to accompany the exhibition. This has been funded through the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives that have also helped us to provide 100 free family tickets to the Museum to 5 local charities, including the Foodbank. Thank you to St James’s Place for their financial contribution to this. None of this would have been possible without the financial support of the Friends of Cornium Museum, Everyone Active, and the Winstone Trust, and we are hugely grateful to them for their continued support.”

Jenny Forde, Councillor, Cotswold District Council, comments, “We ask that you pass on the news that this exhibition is here until 23 April 2023 and is well worth a visit. This is such an excellent opportunity to give a boost to our economy here in Cirencester. The Museum is a fantastic, warm, and beautiful space to visit during the winter months, and the opportunity to see Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets – is here.”

Earl Bathurst, President of Corinium Museum, concludes, “As President, we are delighted to support this event, and we encourage all to visit this exhibition, particularly, children and grandchildren, who will find this time in history, to be fascinating, albeit a bit gruesome!”

More about Gladiators – A Cemetery of Secrets Exhibition

Visitors will discover more about eighty burials which were unearthed in York in 2004 from a Roman age cemetery. Archaeological opinion varies on whether the men were soldiers, criminals, slaves or gladiators; the exhibition presents the evidence, which includes scientific analysis, cut marks, animal bites and blunt force trauma to the bone highlighted through six of these skeletons.

The Roman period comes to life, as the team at Corinium Museum invites visitors to engage more closely with it through unique archaeological finds. Whatever your age, you will be able to assess the evidence for yourselves through a range of AV material, including facial reconstructions, CT scans, and interviews, and deduce from your findings as to which skeletons were, in fact, gladiators!

Gladiator Re-enactment for Families at the Corinium Museum

The Corinium Museum welcome live Gladiators to the museum for the October/February half term/Easter holidays 10-4pm
25th, 26th and 27th October 2022
21st, 22nd and 23rd February 2023
12th, 13th and 14th April 2023

Re-enactment group LEGIO SECUNDA AUGUSTA will take over Corinium Museum’s hare gallery with their Gladiator shows during the school holidays. With talks and Gladiatorial combat suitable for families, the group will bring the Gladiators: A Cemetery of Secrets exhibition from Jorvik to life for museum visitors. Expect shouting and mayhem as activities, that once took place in amphitheatres across the Roman Empire, are revived once again.

Members of LEGIO SECUNDA AUGUSTA will showcase props and combat moves with their interactive show. A Gladiator building will have dozens of artefacts to handle, and children will have the chance to dress up. Crowd control will be overseen by Roman soldiers guarding the galleries and a living history display allows visitors to learn more about Roman life. Children are invited to search for the ‘We Are the Romans’ family trail, created in partnership with Welbeck Publishing and illustrated by World Book Day artist, Allen Fatimaharan with text by author, David Long.

Armed with knowledge of the Roman period and full Gladiator kit, the reenactors invite you to visit the museum to enjoy their theatrical Gladiator shows this holiday. For more information about the group visit LEGIO SECUNDA AUGUSTA https://www.legiiavg.com/
Advance admission tickets are available from coriniummuseum.org Cost: Included in admission