[Regia-NA] FW: Carlisle and theft of goods

[Nicholson, Andrew]

More on the mess, the plot thickens...(though who told the BBC that a whorl
was part of a spinning wheel?)

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Burns [mailto:Madbadrob3@AOL.COM]
Sent: 24 June 2002 14:06
To: BRITARCH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Carlisle and theft of goods


I have just read this piece elsewhere and thought it may be of interest.

this is from the BBC:

Police are investigating the disappearance of rare Roman artefacts which
have
gone missing from storage in Carlisle.
The items, including part of a Roman uniform, were uncovered during the
city's millennium dig in 2000.


The pieces, which could fetch a six-figure-sum at sale, disappeared more
than
six months ago, but the news has only now been made public.

Cumbria Police has confirmed it is investigating the disappearance of the
items, which were in six boxes in a Carlisle City Council storage building.

Spinning wheel

A Cumbria Police spokesman said: "We are investigating the disappearance of
a
number of artefacts that had been discovered at the site of a Roman dig in
Carlisle."

Items missing include two Roman shoulder plates, Roman coins, glassware,
jewellery and copper, together with a Viking bone comb and whorl - part of a
spinning wheel.

Their disappearance was discovered last year when Oxford Archaeology North
took over from Carlisle Archaeology Ltd, a commercial offshoot of Bradford
University.

The items had been unearthed during a millennium dig on Castle Green next to
Carlisle Castle during 2000.

'Police matter'

One of the joint dig leaders, Gerry Martin, said: "It's a huge blow for
historians. Some of the items were unique and extremely rare."

A spokesman for Carlisle City Council said: "The council has liaised closely
with and taken the advice of English Heritage and the county archaeologist
in
matters connected with the excavation, storage and treatment.

"The items were regarded as being stored in good condition and thorough
checks were made to ensure their continued upkeep.

"The matter is now in the hands of the police, so we are unable to speculate
on what might have happened to the artefacts."

They said the city council was only storing the items on behalf of English
Heritage, which was the owner of the items discovered in the dig.



Rob