Roman people
We have told the story
of the Baths and Temple through the lives and experiences of people
we know were here at the time. We have reversed the
hierarchy of the displays from being stone-led to being people-led.
Character stations introduce key Roman individuals, supported by
objects in the collection. We have also used film and computer
animations to place Roman people in the context of the monument,
and animated the walkways around the Great Bath using costumed
interpreters.
Experiences
We have punctuated our new
displays with a series of ‘wow’ moments that highlight the finest
treasures in the museum and emphasise the best that the visit has
to offer. These include the Gorgon’s Head, Minerva’s Head, the
Spring overflow and the Great Bath. Where possible we
have introduced low-tech and high-tech interactive
interpretation into the displays.
The Temple Pediment
We have created a theatre-style space in the Temple Pediment
where people can sit down and spend time viewing the exhibit. A
projection sequence dramatically reveals how the carvings looked
2000 years ago.
Visitor flow in the museum: this has been
reversed. Visitors now enter the Temple Courtyard through the
archway that was used by the Romans. This makes it easier to
understand this complex space and imagine it in Roman days. It also
helps to improve disabled access and ease visitor flow in the most
constrained part of the historic site.
Visitors to the site can have encounters with
costumed Roman characters
New interpretation in the museum
View filmed reconstructions of Roman life