Digging Up Dilemmas: Ancient Remains Spark Modern Debate at The Beaney Museum in Canterbury

Roman finds in Canterbury are highlighted Photo: Ray Duff

Unearthing Secrets: Canterbury’s New Exhibition Puts YOU at the Heart of Archaeology’s Biggest Questions!

A remarkable new exhibition has just opened at Canterbury’s Beaney Museum, and it’s far more than just dusty old bones. While officially titled “Canterbury’s Ancestors,” this enthralling show is challenging visitors to confront the complex ethical dilemmas surrounding modern archaeological research and the human remains it uncovers.

Walk in and prepare for a journey that spans millennia, featuring finds not only from Canterbury but also fascinating exhibits like artefacts from Ramsgate, a chilling Egyptian mummy’s head, and the local mystery of Folkestone’s St Eanswythe and the project to date her relics.

From Grave to Gallery: The Life and Death of Our Ancestors

The exhibition uses large, detailed storyboards and select display cases to bring ancient individuals back to life. You’ll see how meticulous research, using cutting-edge techniques like carbon dating and DNA analysis, is unlocking secrets about their diet, origins, and causes of death. Imagine standing face-to-face with the meager personal items—a belt buckle, a worn coin—found with two Roman soldiers from Canterbury, unceremoniously dumped into a single grave. These are the details that truly make history resonate!

The Ethical Crossroads

But here’s where the exhibition becomes truly compelling. It doesn’t shy away from the modern ethical quandaries. Should remains, sometimes lifted or even stolen in the past, be put on public display, re-interred according to modern customs, or preserved for future study? The exhibition features a dedicated section where visitors can leave comments and use tokens to vote on their views, ensuring your voice becomes part of this vital conversation.

For those who wish to engage more deeply, a separate, designated viewing area allows for closer, optional examination of some of the remains. For younger visitors (under parental guidance), a small “dig pit” offers a hands-on taste of discovery.

Artefacts from previous Canterbury digs on show Photo: Ray Duff

This isn’t just a museum visit—it’s an electrifying, food-for-thought experience that brilliantly connects the people of the past with the difficult decisions of the present. Don’t miss this thrilling opportunity to witness history and decide its future!