National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon (Wales) to reopen September 1, 2020!

Study the oldest recorded piece of writing in Wales, found in a well on the Museum site. Witness one of the largest gemstone collections found anywhere in the Roman Empire. These precious, intricately carved gems were discovered beneath the fortress baths remains, lost by bathers between AD 80 and AD 230.  Peer into the amazing contents of the Bathstone Coffin to find the bones of a 2nd/early 3rd century man, buried with a small glass perfume ointment bottle and a shale cup.  As well as many individual highlights, there is plenty of authentic Roman pottery and other utensils on show in the gallery, including an iron frying pan sporting a folding handle to fit inside a soldier’s pack.

Images: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (legionary model) and the museum (2nd - 3rd century CE Roman remains and coffin).