Experiencing Roman religion on Hadrian’s Wall: embodied interaction in an antiquarian Museum

Abstract

This paper explores the challenge of restoring the sensory experience of archaeological museums, particularly through the engagement of touch, in order to enable visitors to have an embodied museum experience. The traditional ocular-centric approach of museums, emphasising visual and information-led approaches, has led to a disconnect between visitors and the non-visual sensory aspects of material collections. My Roman Pantheon (MRP) was implemented during the Chesters Roman Fort reinterpretation project. It used mise-en-scene, Internet-of-Things technology, and the psychophysical components of touch to create an immersive and empowering experience for visitors. MRP successfully encouraged visitors to explore the religious landscape of Roman Britain, transforming behaviour in the museum and restoring archaeological stonework as loci of embodied experience.