This lovely #IronAge bracelet comes from Ken Hill, #Norfolk. It is hollow & made from a sheet of gold-alloy. It was discovered in 1950 as part of a small hoard of Iron Age artefacts including 'The #Snettisham Great torc 50-150BC © The Trustees of the British Museum

A powerful earthquake struck #Constantinople on 6th #November AD447, destroying 57 towers of the famous walls. The City was threatened with disease in the aftermath. This was during the reign of #Theodosius II & in a major feat of engineering the walls were rebuilt in 60 days.

#November marks a month long celebration of non-fiction #books by the Federation of Children's Book Groups & this year the theme covers history & archaeology. We stock a range of fascinating, fun books for children of all ages so why not bring your youngsters in for a browse? #museumshop #romans

Julian (later the Roman Emperor often known as Julian the Apostate), was elevated to the rank of Caesar in the West by Emperor Constantius on 6th November AD355. Julian was also married to Helena, sister of Constantius and then despatched to Gaul, where he was to be based.

Looking for a new challenge? Our friends at @Historic Environment Scotland have forthcoming open days for opportunities in the #SottishBorders. Pop along and find out more about working at these fantastic properties.

For our #hillfort clip this week, we travel over to the Isle of Bute and Barone Hill, overlooking Rothesay. With stunning views , it has two lines of enclosure, representing separate phases of construction and some facing stones that once dressed the walls can still be seen. #HillfortsWednesday

Many grinding bowls were found at Trimontium. This ceramic one is a mortarium, used between 80-180AD. It has a moulded rim for gripping & contains grits on the inside to aid grinding. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Our word, mortar, comes from the latin, mortarium.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @nationalmuseumsscotland

#OTD the Ludi Plebeii festival started & ran from the 4th of #November to the 17th. Festivities included the Epulum Iovis feast, theatrical comedies by #Plautus & chariot races in the Circus Maximus. The #festival is considered one of the oldest, celebrated since 220 BC #RomanFestival

Bacchus travels on a cart pulled by leopards that are the symbol of his power and his strong connection with the wild. Leopards were represented not only in mosaics or paintings but they were also perfect to create jewellery. The image below shows a brooch in the shape of a leopardess.

#OTD the #Roman Festival of #Isis concluded with Hilaria. Practical jokes, games, dressing up & general amusements took place #onthisday. Hilaria was inspired by the #Egyptian myth of Isis & Osiris whereby Isis resurrected Osiris from the dead after Seth played a bad joke on him that ended badly...

#NationalAuthorsDay - two must-haves related to Trimontium & Roman Scotland. 🌟"The Eagle and the Bear" by Dr. John Reid, Chairman of the Trimontium Trust. Available in our online shop zurl.co/SY3tP  🌟 The new Trimontium Guide Image 4 is James Curle's excavation report, published in 1911.

🌙✨ Happy Kalends of November! In ancient Rome, #November was dedicated to #Diana, goddess of the hunt, the moon, forests, & the Underworld. A month of protection, rituals, & celebration, it also marked the Plebeian Games & festivals for #Isis, whose cult was popular in the Imperial period.🏛️🌿

Romulus Augustulus, often described as the last Western #Roman Emperor, was declared Emperor #onthisday 31st October AD475. He was around 15 when he became #Emperor with his father Orestes the real power behind the throne. Odoacer overthrew him in September 476 but did not kill him.

From 1st November, the Trimontium Museum will be open 10.30am- 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. We will be closed on Sundays & Mondays: still plenty of opportunities to explore the fascinating history of one of Scotland’s largest #Romanfort & see our VR Experience!  Book now: zurl.co/8I64a

Harry has marched to another haunting site! 👻 The old #Roman fort of Lavatrae, at Bowes Castle, once guarding the Stainmore Pass. Legend says its soldiers were slain for greed — yet ghostly legionaries still return to rebury their treasure… Harry’s verdict: “Even the dead can’t skip sentry duty.” ⚔️

As autumn mists & frost caress the beautiful #Scottish landscape, Milkieston Rings greets us for #HillfortsWednesday . Another of the many hillforts in the #ScottishBorders, near Peebles. It is situated on the summit of Milkieston Hill, with evidence of 4 ramparts.  #ScotlandStartsHere

🐾 Happy #NationalCatDay! 🐾 Cats may rule the internet today — but their empire began in Rome! 🏛️ Brought from Egypt & the East, they spread with the legions, guarding grain stores & curling up in Roman villas. Beloved by women & girls, sacred to Libertas — symbols of freedom & grace. 🐈✨

#OTD 28 Oct AD97 the ageing & childless Emperor Nerva was coerced by the Praetorian Guard to adopt Trajan as his successor. #Nerva was the first #Roman# Emperor to be elected by the senate & his adoption of #Trajan ushered in the period of the adoptive 'Five Good Emperors'. Busts of Nerva & Trajan.

#Maxentius was declared #Roman Emperor on 28th October AD306 - He was the son of the Emperor Maximian & his accession set in train the events that led to civil war & his eventual defeat & death at the hands of #Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on 28th Oct AD312.

A collector's item, James Curle's 1911 report: "A #Roman Frontier Post & Its People". 300+ pages & 93 plates, published in record time 1 year after the excavations #Trimontium, recording 4000+ finds. It still is a triumph of clarity, depth & interpretation of the complex site.

#OTD AD312 The night before the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine dreamt of Christ (or an Angel) saying he would win if he used the cross as standard. He did & defeated Maxentius, becoming the sole ruler of the Empire. The battle marked the beginning of Constantine's conversion to Christianity.

In Border Antiquities (1818), Walter Scott wrote of a magic human skull in the ruins of Smailholm Tower. It was "possessed of such extraordinary powers of self-motion, that if carried to any distance it would be found next morning in its usual repository.” 🏰💀 #ScottishBorders

Fire played a key part of #Samhain celebrations in Scotland; A symbol of lighting up the darkness of the coming winter, or used to banish harmful influences, fire has been used for centuries to mark the passing seasons. Find out more this weekend:  zurl.co/ugiuy

25th Oct AD285 or 286 marks the executions of St Crispin & St Crispinian during the reign of Diocletian. They came from a #Roman noble family & fled persecution to teach Christianity to the Gauls, while making shoes for a living. They are the patron saints of cobblers, tanners, & leather workers.

👻 #RomanSiteSaturday - Harry is at the mysterious "Roman Steps" in Cwm Bychan, Wales! 💰✨ Local legend says ghostly Roman soldiers with pack mules can be seen trudging up these ancient paths. Follow them, & you might just be led to a hidden hoard of gold! Harry seems cautious but optimistic!

#OTD 24 Oct AD69 the Second Battle of Bedriacum was fought near modern Cremona, Italy. There were actually 2 battles at #Bedriacum during the Year of the Four Emperors — 1) between #Otho & #Vitellius, 2) between Vitellius & #Vespasian, whose victory would mark the beginning of the #Flavian dynasty

Altar to #Brigantia goddess of the #Brigantes - Iron Age people from northern #England & southern Scotland. The name derives from proto-Celtic, meaning 'high-one'. As a Gallo-Romano & British-Romano goddess, she was identified with the Roman Victoria, Fortuna & Minerva. From Birrens, Dumfriesshire

A beautifully engraved #Roman intaglio in the @Getty collection. This one shows Antinous, the companion & lover of Emperor Hadrian, in profile. Part of the bust, fibula, and drapery have been restored in gold as part of a more modern mount. It dates to AD131-138

It is Wednesday & so it is time for our weekly #hillfort clip. This time we have the Laws of Monifieth, an extraordinary site not far from Dundee. The site incorporates an Iron Age Broch, a stone walled fort that predates the Broch & an ancient cup & ring marked stone - see zurl.co/9HPpS

#ReptileAwarenessDay! 🐊🐢🦎🐍 In the late Republic & early #Empire, Nilotic scenes with crocodiles & Nile fauna adorned frescoes, mosaics & temples—showing #Rome ’s fascination with #Egypt. Let’s appreciate & protect these scaly wonders—many crocodile & alligator species are still endangered today.🌿

🍎 #NationalAppleDay - #Romans loved apples & brought sweeter varieties to Britain as our native ones were too tart!🍏 You can still find ancient types growing at Priorwood Garden once the home of James Curle's family & on display at the annual #Apple Festival at Harmony Gardens, both in #Melrose .

Today's Trimontium Tuesday artefact is this colourful enamelled seal box found at the fort site. Attached to bags & satchels transporting goods & money, it was tied in place with cord. The interior contained the official mark of the sender, proving their identity. Image © NMS

Did the #Romans have an equivalent to the Greek Moirai and the Norse Norns? Yes, they did. They called them #Parcae or Fatae. Their names were: Nona (who spins the thread of life), Decima (who measures the thread of life) and Morta (who cuts the thread of life). #romanmythology #romanreligion

On this day all the forts of the Roman Empire celebrate the Armilustrium. It's the festival dedicated to Mars and the ritual cleaning of the weapons, the war season is over for the winter. The celebrations include the leaping priests (Salii) who perform songs and dances.

👻 Spooky season is upon us! Allow Trimontium to present a haunting tale of one of Rome's (in)famous Emperors: Nero! After his suicide, legend says his spirit took the form of crows, feasting with demons in a walnut tree. Pope Paschal II burned it in 1099.

👻 Spooky #RomanSiteSaturdays - Harry is at Cawfields Milecastle on Hadrian's Wall, where he hopes to catch a glimpse of the legendary Roman legionary ghost 👀⚔️ a Roman soldier from Legio II Augusta haunting Milecastle 42. Will Harry spot him?

Did you know that Trimontium is the setting for a fabulous wee story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? "Through the Veil" was published in 1911 when the discovery of Trimontium was causing a big stir. 📚🔥🍵😉 You can read it in full here: zurl.co/tDebX

#OTD AD33 (or on the 18th) Agrippina the Elder died at 46. Daughter of Julia the Elder & Agrippa, granddaughter of Augustus. She married Germanicus & was loved by the #Romans. They had 9 children (including Caligula). After Germanicus died, she was banished, starving herself to death. #romanwomen

A gateway to an Empire - all that now remains of the North Gate at Milecastle 37, near the #Roman fort at Housesteads on Hadrian's Wall, together with an artist impression of what the Milecastle may have looked like. The Milecastle can be accessed from the #HadriansWall Path. #romanfortthursday

🎃👻Night at the Museum: Haunted Tales by Candlelight💀🎃 30 & 31 October, 7:30 pm, at Trimontium! zurl.co/DJWq0 #halloween #halloweenevents #haunted #candlelight #storytelling

Today marks #WorldFoodDay - focused on food inequality & the need to cooperate to address that inequality. The Roman occupation of Trimontium must have placed a strain on the local supply of grain, game & fish. Imported quern stone, Trimontium. © Trimontium Trust Scythe © National Museums Scotland

A trip south for us for #HillfortsWednesday - Bury Ditches is one of the best preserved hillforts in #England , in Shropshire near Clun & Acton. It has up to four multi-vallate ditches and rampart banks as part of its defensive earthworks, shown in our clip today.

Let's celebrate the Ludi Capitolini (Capitoline Games)! 🎉 For 16 days, Romans gathered for athletic competitions, chariot races, and festivities that invoked the gods' favour for the prosperity of the state. It was a time of unity, faith, and excitement across the city!

Let's celebrate the #Ludi Capitolini (Capitoline Games)! 🎉 For 16 days, #Romans gathered for athletic competitions, #chariot races, and festivities that invoked the gods' favour for the prosperity of the state. It was a time of unity, faith, and excitement across the city!

#TrimontiumTuesday Brass saddle plates, with bosses, & incised decoration found at #Trimontium. AD80-100. As a #Roman cavalry fort, numerous artefacts relating to horses, such as harness & saddle fittings, were found; some of them show silver-plating & copper used to heighten the decorative effect.

#worlddessertday Tyropatinam: #Roman custard. 1/2 litre milk 2 or 3 tsp honey 5 eggs black pepper Melt honey in milk, whip eggs & add to milk. Bake in bain marie until creamy, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool & dress with black pepper. Representation of custard on a fresco, #Pompeii

October was a very busy month in terms of Roman Festivals. Today we say Happy Fontinalia! On 13th October, #Romans decorated fountains & wellheads with garlands to honour Fontus, god of wells & springs. Votive altar dedicated to the Divine Fontes

Emperor Claudius died #OTD 13 Oct AD54, at 63. Son of Drusus (son of Livia & brother of Tiberius) & Antonia (niece of Augustus). Proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard in AD41, he restored stability after Caligula's chaos, strengthened imperial administration & oversaw the conquest of Britain.

Who she is and the skilled artist that painted her is unknown. She was living in Egypt during the #Roman period & her hairstyle dates her to cAD160-170. She is shown with a beautiful necklace (painted in gold leaf) and earrings - Fayum portrait - @British Museum

Hermitage Castle guards Liddesdale, the “bloodiest valley in Britain". Lucky for the resident Redcap demon who stalks it! It requires fresh blood drained from lone visitors to dye his cap. Have you braved it solo and lived to tell the tale? #SundayInTheBorders