2. 11. 2014 Bronze Roman Rooster

Three years after he was found during an excavation in an ancient cemetery, he was given a rare bronze Roman cockerel. The museum in Cirencester took possession of it in autumn 2014. The figurine dates from the second century.

It is one of only nine such figurines from the Roman era ever found. It was part of an exhibition at Cirencester Museum seven years ago. Other finds on display at the time included a hoard of nearly 1,500 Roman coins and the perfectly preserved vase in which the money was found.

These important finds were discovered by archaeologists in 2011 during excavations of the West Cemetery in Cirencester. This was formerly the site of the Roman city of Corinium, which was the second largest in the UK.

The bronze cockerel was placed in the grave of a two-year-old Roman girl. Experts believe it was put there by the deceased girl's parents. They thought it was to protect her from the gods. This precious artifact was meant to ease the girl's transition to the "next" world.

"It was the most important excavation of a Roman cemetery in the city since the early 1970s. The cockerel found under the former Bridge's Garage site - now St James's Place - is one of only nine knownmy figures of a cockerel from the Roman world and is the only example with an intact tail," said a spokesman for Cirencester Museum.

It is an example of a beautiful Roman artefact. As well as the tail, archaeologists also discovered beads and bracelets in the child's grave. "These are fascinating objects that give us a new insight into the life of the inhabitants of Corinium," the museum spokesman added.

Various experts commented on the find at the time. "The cockerel is the most remarkable find with more than sixty Roman graves excavated in the area. As already mentioned, the cockerel was found in the grave of a young child and was placed close to the head. Interestingly, a very similar object was found in Cologne, Germany, and it looks like both may have come fromcome from the same workshop based in Britain," Neil Holbrook, managing director of Cotswold Archaeology, revealed at the time.

The coins in question were part of the exhibition at the time. This was the so-called Tetbury Hoard of 1,437 Roman coins dating from the third century. They were made of silver and copper. They date from a period of political upheaval throughout the Roman Empire.

Sources: www.dailymail.co.uk