We’re really pleased that the Qualis Community Benefit Fund has donated £5,000 to help bring a brand-new exhibition to Epping Forest District Museum in Waltham Abbey.
The exhibition opened in March and runs until 14 December, and it’s all about a fascinating Roman settlement between Chigwell and Abridge called Durolitum.
Titled Town and Country: Life in Roman Durolitum, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey back almost 2,000 years to discover what everyday life was like in Roman times.
Durolitum sat on the main road between Londinium (London) and Great Dunmow, making it an important place in the Roman world. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a large bath house and a settlement that stretched along the fertile banks of the River Roding. The exhibition explores everything from Roman bathing and hygiene to food, religion and daily life.
You’ll be able to see a wide range of amazing objects, including finds from Durolitum excavated by the West Essex Archaeological Group (WEAG) several decades ago, as well as items on loan from other local museums, including Verulamium in St Albans. There are beautiful pieces of 2,000-year-old mosaic, decorated pottery, jewellery, religious objects and even some impressive Iron Age finds from Waltham Abbey.
There’s lots for children to enjoy too! They can dress up as Roman gods, goddesses or archaeologists, and have a go at making their own mosaic design – imagining what their Roman home might have looked like.
A full programme of events will be running alongside the exhibition. Find out what’s on and book tickets at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/efdmuseum
