Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort re-opens for the new season showcasing its latest exhibition

Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort re-opens to the public for the spring and summer seasons on Monday, 25 March with a new exhibition Flora which examines the importance and use of flowers and plants in everyday Roman life.

The Romans not only used plants for food, medicine, and dyeing, but also in religious ceremonies and as decoration. They wore wreaths of flowers and leaves during dinner parties, and decorated buildings and military standards during annual Rose Festivals.

Plant motifs were also used in Roman art. The motifs used on objects could have a symbolic meaning or be purely ornamental.

Visitors can look out for Leaf Alert labels around the museum which have been placed next to those objects with flower or plant decoration. Visitors can also follow the progress of the replanting of the Roman herb garden, taking place over the course of the next few months.

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Geoff Woodward, Manager of North & South Tyneside Museums for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, said: “Arbeia offers a special experience for all our visitors – those who live in the local community and those who travel to see the World Heritage Site from all around the globe. The 2024 Arbeia season promises to be another exciting one for everyone.”

To complement the exhibition, the popular family-friendly craft activity series Crafty Romans will be taking its inspiration from the exhibition’s themes. These free activities run on Wednesdays throughout school holidays, starting with events on 3 and 10 April during the Easter break.

Also over Easter, on 6 April visitors can make a beautiful head garland in a workshop run by artist Shaney Barton, or they can find out more about archaeology and excavations in the museum’s hands-on experience TimeQuest on 7 April. Full details can be found at www.arbeiaromanfort.org.uk.

Highlights of this year’s varied summer events programme include the crowd-pleasing Tunes in June series of afternoon live music concerts, the return of Marley the Roman Pony, and re-enactor Victor the Veteran. The full programme will be announced in due course at www.arbeiaromanfort.org.uk.

Visitors expecting to see Arbeia’s star objects, the Regina tombstone and Roman ring-mail shirt, may wish to plan a return trip.

These objects are currently on loan to the British Museum for their blockbuster exhibition Legion, but are expected to ‘come home’ by the end of June. In the meantime, there is an amusing information panel in the place of Regina, and the display case usually containing the ring-mail is housing a display related to the Flora exhibition.

Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort opens on Monday 25 March and closes for the autumn and winter on Sunday 29 September. Opening hours are: Monday-Friday: 10am – 5pm; Saturday: 11am – 4pm; and Sunday: 1-4pm. Entry is free, donations welcome.