A RARE Roman document-seal that was unearthed among the hundreds of artefacts found at Carlisle Cricket Club is to go on national display.

The find, which bears the distinctive stamp of the elite Roman cavalry unit that patrolled Hadrian’s Wall and had its base at Stanwix in Carlisle, is the  first one ever to be found at the north Carlisle site. 

Officials at the archaeology firm which oversaw the excavations have been asked to loan the lead seal to The British Museum so that it can feature in an upcoming exhibition.

The development is just the latest indication of the archaeological significance of the many finds unearthed at the site next to Eden Bridge.

The imperial nature of some of the artefacts - including wall tiles bearing an imperial symbol - are strongly suggestive of a likely link with members of the ruling elite, and possibly even a visit from the Emperor himself. 

Frank Giecco, from the Wardell Armstrong archaeology firm which led the project, said news of the site's Roman bath house that was unexpectedly found during a survey commissioned by the Cricket Club has spread across Europe.

Of particular significance have been the many artefacts relating to the Ala Petriana Cavalry Unit, whose soldiers will have used the bath house. 

The lead-seal requested for loan by The British Museum bears the letters AEPE, indicative of the Unit. It would have been used to seal an important document sent to the Unit by military officials.

“It’s incredibly rare,” said Frank.

“There are only a handful of objects which have this inscription anywhere and we have found two on the Carlisle Cricket Club site. One is this lead-seal and the other is a fragment of soldier’s gravestone.

“The lead-seal has the letters AEPE [an acronym for the regiment's name] and it’s the first time we've found one at the Stanwix site with the Ala Petriana inscription; that's why the British Museum are so interested in it.

"The Ala Petriana was the premier military regiment on Hadrian’s Wall. We’ll never know what the document was, of course, because it will have been paper but it’s fascinating all the same.”

Since the site was first uncovered, Frank has repeatedly been asked to deliver lectures on the Cricket Club project, including one in the Netherlands; the project has also featured in a recent Channel 4 documentary.

In the early third century AD, Carlisle - then known as Luguvalio - was on the northern fringe of the Roman Empire, with its cultural influence reaching well into the territory north of Hadrian’s Wall.

In power was Rome’s first African Emperor, Lucius Septimius Severus, supported by his wife, Empress Julia Domna. The Cricket Club finds include an inscription stone paying tribute to her.

The bath house was a meeting place for Ala Petriana soldiers. This 1,000-strong fighting force was the largest of its kind in Roman Britain, and the primary defenders of Rome's northern frontier.

The Cricket Club project recently won an award for its hugely successful community work, which saw hundreds of volunteers get involved in the exploration of the site and its archaeology.

This evening [Friday] will see a celebration at the Cricket Club pavilion of the various digs and the stunning finds they have unearthed - and it will be the last opportunity for the public to see the travelling Tullie House Museum exhibition that has been displaying some of the best finds around the county.

The free-to-enter event gets underway at 7pm. There will be talks from experts about what has been found and the significance of the site as well as food, refreshments and a fun quiz.