Lucius Duccius Rufinius returns for one last invasion!

This photograph by Chapel Ross shows Roman Standard bearers participating in the Eboracum Festival for 2018

As part of my History, Community and Culture Module for my second year as a BA (Hons) History student I had to complete a 75 hour placement. This could be working in a museum or organisation of our choice, or by doing one of the projects set up by the university. I decided to do one of the projects looking at the Roman remains in York.

My project placement was based mainly at the Yorkshire Museum, although much of the research was carried out independently by using the suggested websites, such as Romans Revealed, and the library resources.  By looking at the Roman remains of the museum, from human bones to pieces of pottery, the aim was to construct a script on a character living in Eboracum. Our scripts  would then be performed by actors at the Roman Festival from the 1st to the 4th of June, run by the York Museums Trust. I decided to do a character profile on Lucius Duccius Rufinus, a standard bearer of the Ninth Legion in Eboracum (Roman York).

At first, this proved a challenge as the only sources on him were a tomb stone, and secondary sources which were mainly archaeological reports. In order to find out more about him I therefore had to think outside the box, and look more generally at what life was like for a Roman Soldier, who a standard bearer was and what they did, the topography and timeline of Eboracum. This proved more useful as I had a much wider use of sources. I could also use the York Minster's under croft exhibition which helped immensely in understanding more about the fortress itself. Eventually I constructed a mind-map which helped to paint a picture of Eboracum, and my elected person. What I most enjoyed was the vast amount of Roman history available to me in York. I enjoyed the opportunity to look around the walls, and the museums still showing evidence of York’s Roman past. I began to get a better idea of what life was like for a Roman living in York, and enjoyed the opportunity to add further knowledge to the museum’s archives by researching the life style, and topography of Eboracum.

This placement was a fantastic opportunity to develop my skills as a historian, as a researcher and organizer, but also in other skills such as time management and communication. It provided me with an opportunity to do object handling which was a highlight, as it really made me think about the meaning of objects. For my employer, not only did my project help to facilitate resources for the summer festival, and use my work for future projects.