The cremated remains of a woman were interred in this burial vessel known as a ‘face pot’. The pot was sealed with a flagon, acting as a lid, and placed in a small ‘tomb’ made of Roman tiles. A lamp, decorated with the goddess Luna, was placed inside.

This ceramic bust was found in an early Roman cremation burial known as the ‘Child’s Grave’. It contained over 600 fragments of a funerary couch that the child would have been carried to their pyre site on, before being cremated and eventually buried on the outskirts of Roman Colchester. 

A silver coin (denarius) commemorating the emperor Antoninus Pius dated to c. 161AD, with a four-tiered funeral pyre depicted on the reverse. 

Lead urns, sometimes called ossuaries, were one of the most expensive burial vessels that could be purchased. Colchester is exceptional in having four examples. The earliest is that of the centurion Marcus Favonius Facilis, whose tombstone was damaged and toppled during the Boudican revolt. 

As well as being used for personal adornment, the Romans thought objects such as beads could double-up as protective amulets. These were important in a world where people believed in dangerous, supernatural forces. This group of objects was found in a jewellery box, buried alongside a cremation. They include beads of different materials and colours, as well as a ‘fist-and-phallus’ and ‘cage’ amulet.  

Lamps are common burial gifts found in Roman graves. This lamp was probably lit when it was placed in the grave – symbolic of lighting the soul’s journey to Hades. It is decorated with a lion battling a crocodile, perhaps a metaphor for the dangers of the afterlife.

This simple looking grey cremation vessel is in fact incredibly unusual. It is inscribed with the name of the deceased who was cremated and interred in the pot – Thalius Vassu. 

This burial group consists of many objects made of jet – a material that the Romans believed was magical and could protect against evil spirits. They may have accompanied the burial of a child, although one of the jet bracelets is incredibly large. The tiny jet bear is thought to have have been included as an amulet and symbol of protection for the child in the afterlife.