The Emperor Domitian himself travelled to this northern corner of his empire for the event, although he did arrive by the distinctly un-Roman means of a train! He was met at the station by an honour guard of Roman soldiers, along with Meroe and Kebi, who had swapped their dancing clothes for Roman costumes, and were employed scattering flower petals in his path.
Kebi, Domitian and Meroe
As well as the gallery opening, Carlisle was also marking Armed Forces Day, with a number of displays in the main square. In the morning The Royal Signals (Northern) Band led a parade from Tullie House to the city centre, where Domitian addressed the waiting crowd. Then it was back to the museum, where the gardens had been transformed into a Roman encampment for the day, with stalls, storytelling, and the chance to try some Roman crafts.
Outside the museum
The parade - soldiers old and new
We performed a short set in the museum, before taking the opportunity to look round the new gallery. As well as a number of interactive exhibits, the gallery has a wide range of well-displayed objects, both from the museum's own collection and some on loan from the British Museum. We all agreed that it was well worth a visit.
In the afternoon we processed back to the main square for the gladiator show. Each gladiator wore a different colour, and visitors to the museum had had the opportunity to read about the gladiators beforehand, choose who to support, and collect a sticker or balloon in the colour of their favourite. This certainly made for a colourful event.
Leonidas (in yellow) and his supporters
The day ended with a flag-lowering ceremony in the city centre, and a final procession of cadets, service and ex-service personnel from the Old Town Hall Square to Carlisle Castle for a sunset ceremony.
Finally, our thanks to Robin Brown of Legio VIII Augusta for looking after us so well, and to Chris Lee for kindly giving permission to use his photographs of the day.
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