I am very grateful to both the Roman Society and The Manchester Museum for giving me an excellent opportunity to work in such an interesting Museum and at such an exciting time: whilst completing this placement at Manchester I was fortunate enough to assist in the final stages of the opening of the new exhibition Ancient Worlds . As a Classical Archaeology graduate it was very interesting for me to help at a new exhibition which not only showcases some of the Museums most interesting and diverse objects but also explores Archaeology as a dynamic discipline.
I had volunteered in some Museums before but during this placement I was able to face new challenges such as forensic documentation, whilst revisiting old skills such as object database management: I was able to meet different members of staff at the Museum who were all keen to talk about their own experiences and offer much appreciated advice about the different fields and positions within Archaeology and Conservation.
After working on a large collection of metal detecting finds which included numerous buttons, bells, buckles, toy canons and even a large medieval key, I was able to appreciate the value of donations and loans from metal detecting clubs and individuals. This particular collection was quite extensive and though it was unfortunately devoid of any information regarding the find spot, the objects looked amazing in their final display in the new exhibition. This experience rather gave me a chance to understand that the aesthetic appeal to the public of objects was equal to that of their historic value to archaeologists; coming from an archaeology background it was often frustrating when an object did not have a the full details of discovery as the statigraphic and geographical context is so important in recreating the “life” and history of the object.
One of the groups of buttons from the Metal Detector
Collection, ranging from various dates. Personal image
Keeping the Ke Emu object documentation database up to date was at times a tricky task but necessary, as some of the old handwritten record books had not been digitalised and had old accession numbers; the accession number is the unique number assigned systematically to individual or grouped objects, and could be changed over time. The Ke Emu database and accession number system in key to the museum as it not only allows the object to be tracked but all the information such as the finder,
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Caitlin Barratt, The Manchester Museum

excavation dates, object information and even other relevant objects can be found swiftly and presented precisely. I now have a rather thorough understanding of the museums database having edited and added to object and group profiles, as well as digitalising several of the older records, and would feel confident in working on any similar database. I enjoyed working with the Ke Emu database as it helped me understand how the great wealth of knowledge and information held by
Museums in managed, and how a network of information can be shared quickly and efficiently.
One of the most complex tasks I completed was the recovery of a large collection of accession numbers for an old object handling collection from two digs in Deansgate, Manchester and
Gayton Thorpe Roman Villa, Norfolk. Without any complete accession number we were unable to find out any information about the objects, but by using the old accession records we were able to identify and re-number the finds by comparing the objects to sketches within the register and using stratigraphic descriptions. Although this was a difficult task it was very rewarding to finally be able to number all the objects to enhance the museums records. This was a rather fascinating insight into the continuing development of object management within museums.
This placement also offered the chance to research some objects and in particular a collection of Roman lamps.
After I entered each lamp on the database, I then began to try and identify the various scenes and patterns decorating the lamps using various catalogues. Whilst some of the lamps were easily identifiable others were very unusual and we even found a forgery from a Naples workshop which was active in the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Finding this forgery was incredibly interesting and added another dimension to its history, and showed the long interest in archaeological finds and their value.
One of the Roman lamps from the collection, now on display in the
Ancient Worlds exhibition. Image courtesy of Bryan Sitch.
As well as researching some other smaller objects and excavations sites I have been able to see how the new exhibition really caters to the modern visitors, especially after working on object information which would be made available to the public via apps and mobile devices. This has been one of the most interesting aspects to my placement, seeing how the exhibitions have developed with new technology available, catering to a new generation of visitors.
I was also able to see how one collection of objects was prepared for the exhibition and added to the digital app database: the collection was a large group of Roman glass with over a 100 items including vases, flasks and drinking vessels, they came from various sites in Europe. The artefacts were
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Caitlin Barratt, The Manchester Museum

arranged in the stores and then individually examined by one of the conservation team, the iridescent shine of some of the glass was actually a result of decay and corrosion. It was decided that the current position of the objects would be suitable for the exhibition, so photographs were taken of each shelf and blow up to A3, which I then annotated with accession numbers, so the display could be pieced together again in the without relying on sight and memory. This task required a steady hand as the glass was extremely fragile and the odd, tall shapes made it difficult to keep moving the objects safely. After all the glass had had their accession numbers recorded I then added to them to a specific database along with their descriptions.
One of the three shelves of Roman Glass, the range of colours of types made the display very sticking and eye catching. Image courtesy of Bryan Sitch.
My time at Manchester was very enjoyable and this placement was an amazing opportunity. I would like to thank the Society for the Promotion of Roman studies for funding me and I would like to thank Bryan Sitch the Deputy Head of Collections and Curator of Archaeology at the Manchester
Museum for enabling me to experience working in the Museum and providing me with such interesting and diverse jobs. This placement has continued to fuel my interest and passion in archaeology and helped me decide on post graduate studies.
Caitlin Barratt
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Caitlin Barratt, The Manchester Museum