The Carlisle Heads: From nearby Roman Site

 

Introduction

I last reported on these carvings on Nov 11th 2023 subsequent to which excavations have continued on the important Roman site at Carlisle Cricket Ground. An update was provided per my blog of June 26th 2025.

Carlisle Cricket Ground. 


Information on the Carlisle Heads 

The image above (top) was taken at a current exhibition at Carlisle's Tullie Museum. Carlisle is a major city in the NW of England close to the Roman-era Hadrian's Wall.

The sculptured sandstone heads were discovered at the Cricket Ground site in 2023. They are carved in a style that combines local Celtic and Roman influences and likely represent Roman theatre masks.

One of the heads has traces of a carving of a god and an animal on the back which suggests it was made from recycled stone work, possibly an altar.

The heads have been carved in a way which suggest they would have been placed high up.

In Roman belief heads like these would protect people from the evil eye and bad spirits. 

More Information 

More information on Hadrian’s Wall can be found in Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle. Refer also separate web pages for Roman Britain and Roman Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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