10 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Excavation of Carlisle Roman bathhouse uncovers a connection between the site and a third-century Roman emperor

Excavation of a Roman bath at the Carlisle Cricket Club in Stanwix, part of the Uncovering Roman Carlisle project, has revealed the link between the site and a third-century Roman emperor.

On the site, tiles with a connection to the third-century Roman Emperor Septimus Severus have been discovered, demonstrating his ties to the city.

Lead archaeologist, Frank Giecco, said the “evidence is building up” of “something really special” in the area.

The tiles have the Roman Imperial stamp, and Frank Giecco, lead archaeologist of the Uncovering Roman Carlisle excavation, said: “The Romans would quite often stamp their tiles.

“The legions would stamp tiles, the auxiliaries would stamp tiles, but this is the very top of the pile.

Archaeologists say the IMP stands for imperator, Latin for emperor. Photo: DR DOT BOUGHTON
Archaeologists say the IMP stands for Imperator, Latin for emperor. Photo: DR DOT BOUGHTON

“It’s not a legion or anyone else – this is the signature of the Emperor. It’s been built by the imperial machine and it’s a connection. I can’t say that Septimus Severus ever set foot in Carlisle. Who knows. All we can say is that we have got a huge, monumental building that has been built in Carlisle. The Emperor was in Britain at that time, we’ve got an inscription from his wife in the building and we have got his personal workshop-stamped tiles coming from the building,” he said.

The Carlisle excavation also uncovered a variety of objects, including silver rings, tiles, and the paw print of a Roman pet. Also a piece of pottery bearing a bird pattern was discovered, which is considered to represent a sort of popular Roman dinnerware.

The paw print which was found may have been made by one of the Roman's pets walking across the tile whilst it was being made.
The paw print which was found may have been made by one of Roman’s pets walking across the tile whilst it was being made.

The Uncovering Roman Carlisle project, which recently received a £99,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant is an 18-month, program of community archaeological investigation, exhibitions, and engagement exploring Carlisle’s Roman remains. The project is being led by a partnership of Carlisle City Council, Carlisle Cricket Club, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, and Wardell Armstrong.

The project will include a 28-day community excavation of a Roman bathhouse, discovered in 2017, on a site based within the grounds of Carlisle Cricket Club in Stanwix. Starting on Tuesday 31 August, the excavation will be undertaken by local volunteers, with supervision from professional archaeologists. A program of engagement of local adults, families, and school pupils will run throughout the excavation in September.

The site is open to the public daily from 09:30 to 16:00.

News and Star

Related Articles

Alone Against Time: The 3,000-Year-Old Last Hittite Monument of Western Anatolia Awaits Rescue

8 July 2025

8 July 2025

Carved into the cliffs of western Anatolia over three thousand years ago, the Karabel Rock Monument is the last surviving...

Incredible Mayan Inventions and Achievements

31 July 2022

31 July 2022

The Mayans excelled at agriculture, pottery, writing, calendars, and arithmetic, leaving an incredible quantity of spectacular architecture and symbolic artwork...

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

21 July 2022

21 July 2022

The Basilica Cistern, one of the magnificent ancient structures of Istanbul, was restored. Besides being the greatest work of the...

Traces of fossilized crabs in the Zagros Mountains, Iran which may hint at a hotbed of biodiversity dating from 15 million years

18 April 2022

18 April 2022

A group of paleontologists from the  University of Tehran has discovered traces of fossilized crabs in the Iranian which may...

Ground-penetrating radars reveal hidden passages, described in Leonardo’s drawings

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

As part of a PhD thesis, an innovative technological investigation conducted by the Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with the...

Evidence of Rare Romano-Celtic Temple Near Lancaster Castle -may be only the second of its type –

10 March 2023

10 March 2023

A study exercise for students from Lancaster University has uncovered a Romano-Celtic temple, only the second of its type in...

Buried Treasure of Trajan’s Forum: Colossal Marble Head Discovered

23 June 2025

23 June 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery has emerged from the heart of imperial Rome. During recent excavations on Via Alessandrina—funded by Italy’s...

Bergama Ancient City Takes Its Place in Digital Environment

1 February 2021

1 February 2021

As a result of the studies carried out by the German Institute, Bergama Ancient City was It was transferred to...

1,500-year-old baptistery found in Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in western Turkey

3 December 2021

3 December 2021

A baptistery, estimated to have been built in the 5th century AD, was unearthed in the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in...

A Ribat Mosque shares space with the Roman sanctuary dedicated to Sun and Ocean was discovered in Portugal

2 November 2023

2 November 2023

The ruins of a second Islamic ‘ribat’ mosque dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries have been discovered at...

Discoveries on the island of Minorca shed light on the history of Roman conquests in the Balearic Islands

31 July 2021

31 July 2021

The University of Alicante Institute for Archeology and Historical Heritage (INAPH) Researchs discovered a collection of buried Roman antiquities going...

Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century Italian ‘Vampire’ Buried With Brick In Mouth

23 March 2024

23 March 2024

A 16th-century ‘vampire‘ who was buried with a stone brick jammed in her mouth over fears she would feed on...

Archaeologists uncover ancient mosaic of the living room of brutal Publius Vedius Pollio

13 December 2022

13 December 2022

In the Pausilypon Archaeological Park, archaeologists from the University of Naples’ “L’Orientale” uncovered an ancient mosaic. The park is located...

In northern Iran, a hand-dug passageway was discovered used for military purposes during the Qajar era

1 August 2021

1 August 2021

A hand-dug underground passage dating from the Qajar era (1794-1925), once believed to have served military purposes, has been discovered...

Paleonursery offers a detailed glimpse at life 518 million years ago

6 July 2021

6 July 2021

Fossilized specimens of thousands of undersea animals buried under a sedimentary avalanche 518 million years ago have been found near...