Some of the best Carlisle dig findings from 2023

Further digging is planned for the site in May

A host of exciting finds have been made at an award-winning archaeological dig in Carlisle over the past year.

The excavation of an old Roman bathhouse at Carlisle Cricket Club began in 2021.

About seven weeks of digging was conducted this year. Two massive sandstone heads were discovered as well as an 1,900-year-old cobbled Roman road.

More digging is planned for May 2024. In the meantime, here is a round-up of the best objects from the dig this year.

This candlestick is from the second or third century AD according to lead archaeologist Frank Giecco. The find is unusual as Romans typically used oil lamps rather than wax candles. Future analysis of the item could be used to determine if beeswax or tallow was used to make the candle found in this holder.

Hairpins and needles were worn by high status Roman women to keep their wigs fixed. The needles also were used to thread beads into their hair, Mr Giecco said.

Mr Giecco said this dolphin carving from about AD200 was his 'favourite find'. Dolphins are hugely symbolic in the Roman empire, he said. Carlisle may have been the most northerly city in the Roman empire, he added.

Many gems have been found on the site since work began on the site. These engraved gems are known as intaglios and are each only a few millimetres in diameter. They would been held in rings worn by people in the bathhouse and are miniature pieces of art.