Dig into history: Corinium Museum hosts Festival of Archaeology
From exploring Roman food to getting hands-on with a Roman soldier’s kit: Cirencester’s Corinium Museum is celebrating the town’s rich history with its annual Festival of Archaeology this summer.
Running from 19 July to 3 August, the Council for British Archaeology event is a chance for visitors and residents to take part in expert talks, family-friendly activities, live archaeological demonstrations and behind-the-scenes tours and craft workshops - all bringing the spirit of Cirencester’s Roman past to life.
Highlights include a talk from mammoth hunters Dr Neville and Sally Hollingworth on 28 July. Sally and Neville unearthed a mammoth graveyard in Cerney Wick and will share more about the incredible Ice Age mammoth discoveries as well as their experience filming with Sir David Attenborough for the BBC documentary “Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard.”
Another highlight is an evening lecture on Thursday 31 July by Cotswold Archaeology’s Peter Busby, who will explore recent archaeological discoveries from South Cerney dating from the prehistoric to post-medieval periods.
Visitors will also have an opportunity to meet the museum team who will share information about the nationally important archaeological collections in the museum galleries.
Additionally, an afternoon talk with museum director, Emma Stuart on 24 July will explore the material and information revealed by Foundations Archaeology in 2017, when a special Bronze Age chieftain burial was discovered under the town’s skate park.
Caroline Morris, collections and education manager said:
“The museum has been involved in the Festival of Archaeology for over 20 years. Our range of events engage people of all ages to encourage people to discover more about archaeology and their local heritage as well as offer a positive impact on peoples’ wellbeing. We are excited to take part in the festival and welcome people into the museum to take part and explore our archaeological collections ranging from prehistory to the Civil War period.”
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member for health, culture, and leisure at Cotswold District Council, said:
“The Festival of Archaeology is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Cirencester’s rich Roman past and the wider heritage of the Cotswolds. Events like this not only bring history to life but also foster a sense of community and well-being. We’re proud to support the Corinium Museum in delivering such an inspiring and inclusive programme.”
Contact Information
Cotswold District Council Communications Team
Notes to editors
About Corinium Museum
Corinium Museum is located at the heart of Cirencester, the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’. The principal collection consists of the highly significant finds from the Roman town of Corinium. However, the museum today is much more than that, taking you on a journey through time and charting the development of the Cotswolds from its prehistoric landscape to the modern-day.
Freedom Leisure runs the Corinium Museum facility on behalf of Cotswold District Council.
About the Festival of Archaeology
About the Festival Council for British Archaeology
The CBA Festival of Archaeology incorporates hundreds of in-person and virtual events delivered by community groups, heritage organisations, universities, commercial units, and more. It promotes involvement in archaeology through flagship days such as “A Day in Archaeology” and “Youth Day” and allows individuals to get involved from wherever they are, all year round, through our wide range of downloadable resources. Through the Festival, the CBA helps over half a million people to participate in archaeology, explore stories of place, and connect with the environment around them. Each year the Festival of Archaeology has a theme, in 2025 this is "Archaeology and Wellbeing".
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA)' Festival of Archaeology is the perfect opportunity for us all to celebrate the incredible grassroots groups, societies, and individuals that share a passion for archaeology across the UK.
At its heart, archaeology is all about people and how we explore and interpret the past through the lens of the present day. Archaeology has the unique ability to bring people from all walks of life together through our shared sense of community – what it meant in the past, what it means to us now, and how we can shape our future.
Each year we celebrate ‘community’ in all its forms. From collaborative approaches to archaeological projects to sharing archaeology with others and creating new opportunities for people to explore the places they live through archaeology, the very groups, societies, and organisations that make up archaeology in the UK today.
About Freedom Leisure
Freedom Leisure is one of the largest charitable and not-for-profit leisure trusts in the UK managing over 100 leisure and cultural facilities on behalf of partners across England and Wales. We are proud to be delivering high quality, value for money locally-focused leisure services that are sustainable and accessible to all and we are committed to their ongoing development. As a not-for-profit organisation all surpluses are reinvested in support of the objectives we share with our partners.
Improving lives through leisure
- Enabling communities to be more active more often, making the most of their leisure time
- To be a fun and rewarding place for our colleagues to work
- To support our partners with the provision of great community facilities
For all media enquiries please contact:
Beau Pergusey beau.pergusey@freedom-leisure.co.uk 01285655611
Samantha Fryer Ward sam.fryerward@freedom-leisure.co.uk 01285 655611