Souvenirs From Hadrian's Wall

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 An article in my FB feed today about an exhibit at Chesters Fort in England had the best teaser line. I would have sent this to my mom..."Coffee cups, Mom. Coffee cups."

"Collecting objects as a way of safeguarding memories is an extremely old idea."

MEMENTO: SOUVENIRS FROM HADRIAN’S WALL

To celebrate 1900 years of Hadrian’s Wall, Chesters has a new exhibition displaying nearly two millenia of keepsakes, including one of the Wall’s earliest souvenirs, the Rudge Cup. Made around 130AD, the Rudge Cup is a small bronze bowl with the names of five forts inscribed on it and an illustration of the wall. It is thought to have been made for a high-ranking soldier or civil official who was stationed on the Wall. The Rudge Cup will join a host of keepsakes from the Wall, including a large replica bust of Hadrian, a piece of the wooden fort at Carlisle and a tin filled with scavenged fragments, which were discovered on a visit to Chesters in 1891, according to the handwritten note attached to it.

English Heritage Chesters Roman Fort and Museum: Hadrian's Wall






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