Ludlow Museum Gallery 3: Archaeology
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The third gallery looks at archaeology in the Ludlow area
Archaeological finds from the area date back over 4000 years in some cases.
- An introduction to archaeology
- Early medieval (Anglo Saxon Shropshire)
- The Roman's in the Marches
- Prehistory of Bromfield and Caynham: two important local sites
- The first section of the gallery gives an introduction to archaeology. It shows us how archaeology first began, and how today's landscape has been influenced by human activity over thousands of years with the creation of religious sites, burial grounds, fortifications, farmland, and industry. The archaeology collections within the museum have come from a number of sources; archives from excavations, donations from the public, and in recent years objects purchased through the Treasure Act.The Early Medieval or Saxon period (410-1066 AD) is not as well known in Shropshire as other parts of England. What we know mainly comes from documents and charters. These tell us who the rulers were and the battles which they fought in; very little is known about the people who lived during this time. On the whole, artefacts from this period are extremely rare. Two fine examples are the West Shropshire Pendent (600-650 AD) and the Dinham Pommel which is an ornately decorated gold and garnet dagger pommel dating from the 7th century AD. The third section of this gallery looks at the influence the Romans had on the area and in particular the local settlement of Leintwardine. Roman rule in Britain brought many changes to Shropshire and the Marches. Surfaced roads were built through the area linking important towns and other settlements. Watling Street, the main Roman Road from London to Mid Wales, ran down the spine of the County. Also along its length temporary marching camps were built at strategic points and settlements gradually developed. The main settlement in Shropshire was at Wroxeter; then called Viroconium, which became the fourth largest Roman city in Britain!The final section of this gallery looks at the prehistory of the area and two sites in particular: Bromfield and Caynham. Bromfield has been an area of importance for people for over 6,500 years. Evidence remains of some of its inhabitants from the Bronze age, Iron age and later periods. There is also information on its cremation burials.Caynham Camp Hillfort is one of the nearest to Ludlow and is regarded as a good example of its type. Here, excavations have uncovered several phases of building and occupation which stretch back around 3,000 years.