from Princeton to Oxford: Cirencester

Sunday continued... After enjoying our polo matches, we drove into the city center of Cirencester. This fascinating town started off as Corinium, the second-largest Roman settlement in England (second only to Londinium). When digging in today's Cirencester, you're almost guaranteed to turn up Roman artifacts - even in backyard gardens! All major excavation works in the area require a formal archeological investigation.

Yields of these digs and many earlier finds are catalogued in the Corinium Museum. The museum presents a fascinating timeline of the Roman settlement from its formation in the early 2nd century (that's right, the 100s AD). The Romans abandoned the city when they retreated from the British Isles in the mid-5th century. Anglo-Saxon history takes over from there.

We were amazed by many of the artifacts - the huge and complex mosaics, hoards of currency featuring Roman emperors, tiny treasures, and massive engineering projects. The museum was also great for the kids, with fun relevant activities alongside the "less-exciting" adult displays!

The museum was our intended destination in Cirencester, but walking through the town was also a lot of fun. The 12th century church was interesting - we took a peek inside and found people creating a massive Lego reconstruction of a nearby abbey that was destroyed during the Reformation. We walked through the twisty medieval streets and found our way to The Golden Cross, where we enjoyed a tasty Sunday roast.

We finished off our day by hunting through town to find remains of the Roman wall that enclosed Corinium. When we visited northern England in June, I was disappointed that we didn't get to check out Hadrian's Wall. Our quick expedition in Cirencester satisfied my wish to see the remains of 2000-year-old Roman civil engineering projects!