Sign in

Trimontium Trust & Museum

@trimontiumtrust.bsky.social
1.2K followers 39 following 1.3K posts

A unique museum dedicated to Roman & Iron Age Scotland. 🌟Thistle Awards Winner Melrose, Scottish Borders 🔗https://linktr.ee/trimontiumtrust

PostsRepliesMedia
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 12h
😊 Happy #WorldSmileDay! The Romans knew how to smile, too. From the joyful young centaur found at Hadrian’s Villa (copy of a Greek original), to a laughing child from the British Museum & our own smiling terracotta horse from Newstead. Nearly 2,000 years later, they’re still making us smile. ❤️
collage of images showing close ups of a head of a centaur, head of an infant laughing and head and upper body of a horse smilingYoung centaur marble sculptureBust of a smiling/laughing infantTerracota figurine of a horse, smiling
060
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 17h
Many will be involved in sports in some way this weekend. What would the #Roman soldiers have been doing at #Trimontium Fort? Perhaps playing #Harpastum, a popular ball game similar to rugby. 📷 1) Harpastum, ancient Roman fresco 2) Tombstone of a boy with harpastum ball - Sinj, Dalmatia, Croatia
Roman fresco depicting a ball gameTombstone of a boy with harpastum ball
0131
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
#WorldVegetarianDay! 🌱🥦. Vegetarianism existed in Classical antiquity among Greeks & Romans, although abstaining from meat was often associated with specific philosophical or religious beliefs rather than being the norm.
Busts of Pythagoras, Seneca and Plutarch, illustration depicting Ovid and mosaic depicting gladiators.
1193
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
On this #InternationalDayofOlderPeople, let's look at the oldest Roman emperor to rule. Gordian I was around 80 years old upon his ascension to the throne in 238 AD, the Year of the Six Emperors.
181
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
#OTD 1st #Oct #Rome honoured #Fides, goddess of trust, good faith & fidelity. She appears on many Roman coins — including some on display at our museum in Melrose. 🔎🪙 It's also the birthday of Roman historian Sallust c.86 BC. His accounts of the Catiline conspiracy & Jugurthine War survive.
GOld coin showing FidesSilver coin depicting FidesObverse and reverse of the coinsStatue of Sallust, seated
0122
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Happy Kalends of #October! 🍂 From the Latin octo, “eight” — October was the 8th month in the earliest Roman calendar. Even after the calendar expanded to 12 months, it kept its name & its 31 days. October marked the close of the military & farming seasons & was under the protection of Mars. ⚔️🌾
Mosaic of the month representing OctoberAnother mosaic representing October as a personificationStatue of Mars
1265
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Children have always played, and Roman children were no different! While first toys today are often stuffed animals, the Roman baby could be offered a crepundia as their first plaything.
1144
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This find comes from Steane from the age of Roman Britain, and it is a wonderful example of provincial style interacting with imperial portraiture. Here we see a bronze Marcus Aurelius, only 16cm tall and an incredible 2kg, presumed to be a sceptre or pole head.
29316
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#PompeytheGreat , Born #OTD 106 BCE, was a renowned Roman general and statesman of the final decades of the Roman Republic. Protégé of the military dictator Sulla, Pompey achieved significant military and political success during his lifetime. #FirstTriumverate #roman #history
0154
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Perhaps you have seen the Fayum mummy portraits! They are famous for how real they look, the faces of Roman elites from the past. This woman had her portrait made between 160 and 170AD, based on her trendy hairstyle and fashion inspired directly from the imperial women of Rome.
1207
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
#OTD 28 Sept 48BC #Pompey the Great arrived in #Egypt seeking refuge after his defeat by #JuliusCaesar at Pharsalus. Instead, the 57-year-old #Roman was lured ashore & assassinated on the orders of the advisers of the young King Ptolemy XIII – just one day before his 58th birthday. #RomanHistory
Representations of Pompey in sculpture and coinage
082
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#OTD 46BC #Caesar dedicated the Temple of Venus Genetrix, to whom he attributed his success at the Battle of Pharsalus & from whom he claimed descent through Aeneas. It was adorned with elaborate friezes & housed a statue of Venus. 📷 Ionic frieze & ruins from the Temple of Venus Genetrix
Frieze detail of the templeruins of the temple including 3 columns and a frieze
0226
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
On this day, the 25th of September in 275 CE, Marcus Claudius #Tacitus accepted the #Senate’s offer of becoming #Emperor after the death of Aurelius. Tacitus ruled for six months before dying, most likely of fever.
Coin of Marcus Claudius Tacitus
062
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
#OTD 24 Sept, AD15, #RomanEmperor Vitellius was born. He became Emperor in the #YearOfTheFourEmperors in AD69, but ruled for just 8 months before Vespasian's forces defeated him. At #Trimontium, our only link to him is a denarius from the Synton Hoard. 🪙
040
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
For #RomanFortThursday, let's consider #Anderitum. Built around AD 290 & one of nine #SaxonShoreforts, Anderitum was constructed during a period of growing pressure on #Rome’s frontiers, when coastal defences across #Britannia were being strengthened against seaborne threats.
Illustration of the coastal fortsWall, Pevensey castle
0134
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
#OTD 23 Sept AD38 #JuliaDrusilla , beloved sister of Emperor #Caligula, was deified as Diva Drusilla Panthea. She had died just 3 months earlier. The Arval Brethren recorded her consecration in the new Temple of Divus Augustus, on the birthday of the deified Augustus. The 1st woman to be deified. 🏛️
Sculptural head of Julia Drusilla with the nose damagedSculptural head of Julia Drusilla
191
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🎂 Happy birthday to Gaius Octavius, born in Rome #OTD 23 Sept 63BC – the man who became Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. Surrounded by omens & prophecy, he rose from Julius Caesar’s heir to reshape the Roman world. His reign brought expansion, military reform & stability known as the #PaxRomana.
Collage of representations of Augustus in Sculpture and coinage
092
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🍂✨ Today marks the #Autumn #Equinox, when day & night are approximately equal in length. For the #Romans, autumn meant harvest, including the #vindemia — the grape harvest. The season could be personified as Autumnus, while Ceres, Pomona & Bacchus were all linked with agriculture, fruit & wine.
Mosaic representing AutumnusAutumnus mosaic
0398
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
#OTD AD66 Nero established #LegioIItalica. Raised for a planned eastern campaign that never took place, it was named Italica during the Year of the 4 Emperors.In Scotland, an altar at Old Kilpatrick names Julius Candidus, a centurion of the legion, serving with the First Cohort of Baetasians.
Emblem of the Legion I Italica, a yellow boar and the name of the legion over a red backgroundThe altar by Candidus, photo and illustrationMaps of Roman forts along the Antonine Wall, detail
032
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Today is #InternationalDayOfPeace. Even when the #Romans believed themselves at peace, uprisings against them were common. According to #Tacitus, Calgacus denounced the Romans stating “They make a desert & call it peace.” 📷 Reverse of denarius of Hadrian depicting Pax, Synton Hoard, TrimontiumTrust
Reverse of a roman denarius depicting the goddes Pax.International Day of Peace graphic: invest in peace for everyone, everywhere, every day
062
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Salmon have been making the journey along the River #Tweed to their breeding grounds for thousands of years: evidence of fishing at the #Trimontium Fort site was found in the form of a bronze fish hook (pictured with a modern one). 📷 River Tweed Bronze fish-hook, Trimontium. #SundayintheBorders
RiverTweed in autumnPair of fishhooks, one ROman, one modern.,
171
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#Roman Emperor #AntoninusPius was born #OTD 19 Sept AD86. His reign saw the construction of the Antonine Wall begun around AD142 under governor Quintus Lollius Urbicus. He never visited Scotland but his reign left its mark. #Trimontium became an important Roman military centre during this period. 🎂
Bust of Antoninus pius over an image of the Antonine Wall from the air, with modern graphics related to birthday celebrationsDenarius of Antoninus PiusMap of location of the forts along the ANtonine WallThe Antonine wall from the air
0134
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
#OTD in 53AD Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born. His birthplace is the province of Hispania Baetica to the south of Spain. He is remebered as a good Emperor and he ruled from 98 to117 AD.
1133
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
#OTD 18 September AD96 #Emperor Domitian was assassinated. Contemporary accounts suggest that #Domitian was a ruthless, but efficient autocrat.
152
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In September Andromeda, the star and galaxy, comes back to the northern emisphere and it's visible just after the sunset. Who was Andromeda? Andromeda was a princess and she was chained to a cliff to be sacrficed to the sea monster Cetus. Perseus slew Cetus, freed Andromeda and married her.
📷Perseus frees Andromeda, fresco, 1st century AD, Casa dei Dioscuri, Pompei; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa📷Andromeda; credits: https://zurl.co/yFX3C 📷Perseus fighting Cetus; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa📷Perseus frees Andromeda, fresco, 1st century AD, Casa dei Dioscuri, Pompei; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa📷Andromeda; credits: https://zurl.co/yFX3C 📷Perseus fighting Cetus; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa📷Perseus frees Andromeda, fresco, 1st century AD, Casa dei Dioscuri, Pompei; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa📷Andromeda; credits: https://zurl.co/yFX3C 📷Perseus fighting Cetus; credits: https://zurl.co/9eTLa
062
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
It's #RomanFortThursday ! #Inchtuthil is the site of a #Roman legionary fortress in #Perth and #Kinross. The fortress was built in 82 or 83 CE as the headquarters of the army of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, during his campaign against the #Caledonians.
Aerial view of InchtuthilRoman nails
0328
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
For #HillfortsWednesday - our clip features Camp Tops & Hayhope Knowe near Morebattle, in the rich hillfort country of the #ScottishBorders. Both have traces of roundhouses. Camp Tops has 3 ramparts & ditches. Hayhope Knowe has a double palisade, single palisade, rampart & ditch.
1337
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
On this day, in the year 16 CE in present day #Germany, Julia Drusilla, member of the #Roman Imperial family was born. Her brother was Roman #Emperor Caligula. After her death, #Caligula had her deified with the name #Diva Drusilla Panthea and named his daughter after her.
021
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Three local finds, now part of the #Trimontium collection through the #TreasureTrove process: a votive bull figurine, Celtic-style sword hilt & enamelled loop fastener. Want to know more? Join us this Saturday for our Treasure Trove event! . #TrimontiumTrust #TreasureTrove #Archaeology
Votive bull figurinesword hilt with celtic designsloop fastener with enamelled decoration
0121
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Both images show the emperor Septimius Severus, yet the difference in appearance is remarkable, the golden bust - an imago carried alongside a military standard that is just short of a foot tall - was likely made by a craftsman unfamiliar with imperial portraiture.
1153
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#OTD 14 Sept a #cavalry review called #EquorumProbatio was held in #AncientRome. Horses were paraded before crowds & experts to determine if they were healthy. Horses played a vital role at #Trimontium as a cavalry fort. Terracotta figurine, cavalry helmet, chamfron & horse skulls from Trimontium
Terracotta figurine depicting a horse- possibly a child toy over a gradient dark grey backgroundGolden embossed Roman cavalry helmet over a mannequin headReplica chamfron over a black background4 horse skulls over a gradient blue/grey background
093
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#OTD 14 Sept AD81 #Domitian became Emperor, succeeding his brother Titus. His reign brought building projects, campaigns & a 1/3 increase in legionary pay. In Britain, Agricola’s advance continued north under him. Domitian was assassinated in AD96, ending the #Flavian dynasty. Nerva succeeded him.
Silver denarius of Domitian over a black backgroundBust of Domitian
0103
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Julia Flavia was the daughter of #Roman Emperor #Titus & his wife, Arrecina Tertulla. She was born in #Rome, c.63AD & after Titus’s accession in 79AD, she was given the title Augusta. It is not known how Julia died in 91AD at the age of 27 or 28, but she was deified after her death. 📷 Getty, CC0.
Head portrait of Julia Flavia
0134
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
#OTD 13 Sept AD81, Emperor Titus died suddenly at 41, after just over two years on the throne. His reign saw Vesuvius, the inauguration of the Colosseum & Agricola’s campaigns in Caledonia —including the establishment of the first fort at Trimontium around AD80. Succeeded by his brother Domitian.
Bust of TitusDenarius of Titus over a black backgrounddramatic image of the Colosseum
0113
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
11 Sept AD9 – 3 #Roman legions were destroyed at #Teutoburg Forest. #Arminius – Cheruscan nobleman taken as a child hostage & trained as a Roman soldier – turned Rome’s military knowledge against it, luring Varus & his legions into an ambush. Legion numbers XVII, XVIII & XIX were never used again.
Detail of a Roman reliefDetail of a cenotaphEarly 20th century painting depicting the battleTeutoburg forest
093
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
#RomanFortThursday — #Zenobia, (Halabiya) Syria — named after Queen #Zenobia of Palmyra, who in the 3rd C AD made it a key stronghold in her bid to build an eastern empire. #Rome retook Zenobia in AD 272–273. Diocletian, Anastasius I & Justinian later strengthened the fortress.
Image of the interior of the Praetorium, beautifully preservedOutisde of the north gate and praetorium in the sandaerial view of the wall extending towards the river Euphratesdark grey coin of Zenobia
0184
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🎂 Happy Birthday to #Roman Emperors Aurelian & Honorius! Aurelian b. 9 Sept AD214, ended the 3rd Century Crisis & reunited a fractured Empire. Honorius (b. AD384) reigned over the West 393–423, seeing Rome sacked by the Visigoths in 410 —the first time in 800 years the city fell to a foreign enemy.
Aureus of AurelianSolidus of Honorius
171
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
#OTD AD337 the #Roman Empire was split between #Constantine II (Gaul, Hispania & Britain), #Constantius II (the East) & #Constans (Italy, Africa & Illyricum). Constantius II outlasted both, ruling alone from 353 — only to die in 361 marching against his cousin Julian, proclaimed Augustus in Gaul.
Solidus of Constantine IIBust of Constantius II, Romisch-Germanisches Museum, CologneGold medallion of Constans, 342AD, Bode Museum
053
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
#TrimontiumTuesday Join Professor Stuart Campbell online on 10 Sept at 7.30pm as he shares the latest discoveries from Trimontium's archaeological research — including new results from Trimontium itself! 👀 🌍 ONLINE via Zoom. Link to the recording sent to all participants. 🎟️ £5 | FREE for Members
Image of Prof Stuart Campbell holding a small find, with lettering announcing the upcoming September talk
023
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
#OTD 8 Sept AD70 #Roman forces led by Titus completed the capture of #Jerusalem after a 5-month siege - in the 1st Jewish-Roman War. The 2nd Temple was destroyed in Aug, but fighting continued until the city fell. Josephus gives a detailed account. The #ArchOfTitus commemorates the victory.
Detail of the Arch of Titus depicting the MenorahArch of TitusDetail of the Arch of Titus showing cavalry
060
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In 2005 in Spello, it was accidentally unearthed a huge Roman Villa of 500 mq. The whole Villa was built in two phases: the first in the Augustan Era, and the second in the high-Imperial Era. The 20 rooms are the core of the villa. Each room floor has got a mosaic showing different subjects.
📷Mosaics from Villa dei Mosaici in Spello (PG, Italy): ph. Lola Teale📷Mosaics from Villa dei Mosaici in Spello (PG, Italy): ph. Lola Teale
0191
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Today marks #ReadABookDay! Whatever the weather, this is the perfect excuse to curl up in an armchair with a good read. If you love #Roman history, you're bound to find something in our selection of books for sale at #Trimontium Museum. #museumshop
062
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
#OTD 394AD, the #Frigidus River was the site of a battle between #Theodosius & #Eugenius, respectively Emperors of the Eastern & Western #Roman Empire. Victory meant that Theodosius was able to take over the western provinces. Eugenius, Credit: portableantiquities, CC #romanhistory
Golden coin of Eugenius and coin of Theodosius
140
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Ludi Romani Quiz: 1) Who held the first Ludi Romani? Lucius Tarquinus Priscus 2) When? 5th century BC 3) Why? To honour a military victory 4) How long do the Ludi last? From 4th to 19th September 5) What are the main shows? Gladiators fights, chariot races and theatrical plays
📷© The Trustees of the British Museum 📷 By Georges Jansoone (JoJan)   https://zurl.co/3V5XQ  Showing a relief of chariot races.📷 Gladiators, Zliten mosaic, Leptis Magna, Libya, 2nd AD; credits: https://zurl.co/tD4VO📷© The Trustees of the British Museum 📷 By Georges Jansoone (JoJan)   https://zurl.co/3V5XQ  Showing a relief of chariot races.📷 Gladiators, Zliten mosaic, Leptis Magna, Libya, 2nd AD; credits: https://zurl.co/tD4VO📷© The Trustees of the British Museum 📷 By Georges Jansoone (JoJan)   https://zurl.co/3V5XQ  Showing a relief of chariot races.📷 Gladiators, Zliten mosaic, Leptis Magna, Libya, 2nd AD; credits: https://zurl.co/tD4VO
091
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
📜 #OTD 4 Sept AD476 Boy-emperor Romulus "Augustulus" was deposed by Odoacer. #Romulus was spared, pensioned, & retired to a villa near Naples. #Odoacer sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople. The imperial throne of the West fell silent. A thousand years of empire gave way to new kingdoms.
Golden coin of Romulus Augustulus over a black backgroundBlack and white illustration depicting Romulus Augustulus surrendering to Odoacer
060
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Today marks the start of the #ScottishBordersWalkingFestival in & around #Jedburgh. The walks begin in earnest tomorrow with at least three different routes each day varying in distance and degree of difficulty. Details of walks and events can be found at zurl.co/bsoRb
walking pathhills in the horizonjedburgh Abbey
091
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A fantastic new addition to Trimontium! 🏛️ This hand-painted miniature diorama brings the drama of Rome’s northern frontier to life, with local Iron Age warriors attacking a fortified Roman watchtower. Generously donated by a talented miniature artist. 🔍
Miniature Roman soldier handpainted, wearing lorica squamata, with spear and shieldMiniature Roman soldier handpainted, holding sword and shieldMiniature Roman soldier handpainted, on the towerMiniature Roman soldier handpainted, with shield
182
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Swaddling the new baby was a skill required of any midwife and mother, as the Romans believed that the way a baby was swaddled would affect the rest of their lives, with mothers blamed for improperly swaddling a child should the baby grow up ‘wrong’.
190
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
#OTD 1 Sept #Romans held #ceremonies for #Jupiter & #Juno, king & queen of the gods. In the Capitolium Temple & the Aventine Hill respectively. Jupiter was God of the sky & diurnal thunder; Juno was Goddess of marriage & childbirth & associated with the beginning of each #lunar month. #ancientrome
Close up of an intaglio of Jupiter, made of a white-purple stone over a black backgroundreverse of a coin showing a depiction of Juno with patera and peacock, it reads IVNONI REGINAE
062
Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Today marks #WorldLetterWritingDay. The #VindolandaTablets were written in ink on thin wooden tablets in a cursive style & contained a range of subject matter. One of the best known is an invitation to a birthday party. 📷 1) #Roman cursive script. 2) Birthday invitation, ref Tab. Vindol. II 291.
example of Roman cursive writingVindolanda tablet containing a birthday invitation
080