Spatha – from Discovery to Display’ was a project with the aim to conserve and display two rare Roman ‘spatha’ swords discovered by a metal detectorist. The swords were deposited in a ditch bank with a copper alloy bowl. Following x-rays by Historic England, showing one of the blades was of high-quality pattern welding, they were taken for essential conservation thus preserving them for future generations. The copper alloy fitments and bowl were also conserved though there were not enough fragments to fully reconstruct the bowl. The project has increased access to Roman archaeology for the public through a carefully curated display of the finds, with accompanying interpretation. The ‘spatha’ are a crucial addition to the Corinium Museum collections as only a small fragment of pugio exists to represent Roman weaponry from the museum’s collecting area within the Cotswolds. Roman Research Trust grant funding has assisted with object conservation, professional mounting of objects, panel interpretation and public workshops. The Corinium Museum would like to thank the Trust for this support.
