Поэтесса Розмари Герберт представит новую книгу, вдохновленную находкой погребения язычницы в Винчестере

A poet will launch a new collection inspired by the discovery of a pagan burial at a special event in Winchester this autumn. Rosemary Herbert’s latest work draws on her experience in Winchester, as a Rescue Archaeology team member, during the summer of 1973, where she unearthed the grave of a fourth-century pagan woman. Herbert will present A Pagan’s Gift: Archaeology and Poetry at Winchester City Museum on Sunday, October 11, at 2pm, marking the UK launch of her new book, Sisters in Time. She said: "The event will mark the UK launch of my book, which is inspired by my experience unearthing the burial of a young pagan woman during a City Rescue Archaeology dig at the fourth-century, Roman-era site." The collection combines poems about the 1973 Victoria Road dig, life in Winchester, and reflections on the landscape and soundscape of the city. Herbert describes the collection as "a love song to your gorgeous city". Herbert’s encounter with the past began by chance during a stay at a London youth hostel, where a warden recommended she visit Winchester. A conversation on the cathedral lawn led to her meeting Ken Qualmann, the City Rescue archaeologist, who invited her to join the dig team. She said: "I was able to remain in Winchester all summer because, as a Rescue Archaeology team member, I was housed with others in a former chocolate factory on Little Minster Street." Her excavation site, though initially described as "unpromising," revealed the grave of a young pagan woman and a trove of grave goods. Among the items found were a ceramic bowl, possible coffin nails, knife blades and a small bone hairpin. Herbert said: "When, amidst other more eye-catching and outwardly impressive grave goods, I found her small bone hair pin, I knew, as a poet-in-the-making, that the deceased woman had been loved. "Someone had cared for enough to dress her hair for her journey into the afterlife. "It still seems utterly astonishing to me that I could know this about her." Herbert says she felt an emotional connection to the young woman, who was likely close to her own age at the time. Her talk at the City Museum will blend poetry readings with personal reflections on her experiences and the archaeological insights gained during that formative summer. Sisters in Time will be available at the City Museum gift shop and will be sold at her October 11 event there, and it is also sold at P&G Wells Booksellers in Winchester.