A
Guarded Silence - Westgate of the Roman Lower City, Lincoln City Hall
Here
you may be silenced when you abruptly find yourself in Roman Lindum
Colonia. Enclosed in the dumb materials of modern constructions are
the impressive gateway entrance to the lower part of the Roman
settlement and remnants of the great western wall that surrounded and
defended the Upper City – a kind of resort for retired Roman
soldiers. However today the back side of Lincoln City Hall squats
above the wall, the ancient stones quashed by the incessant
chattering of bureaucracy.
Colonising
is both a silencing and raucous action. Consider past, present and
future here – the past and present have been declared whereas the
future is un-revealed. Is there a kind of silence in this
story-telling – one that allows un-truths? Or will we speak our
truth so others hear our history – re-membering our stories, our
soundtrack?
There
was a merging of activity at this gate, you might just hear the
rattle of cart wheels, the laughter of merchants coming and going,
the gossiping of working women lingering outside the city walls while
quietly scheming how to do business within. The harsh warning shouts
of the Guards at the gates have been silenced, lost on the winds over
the rampart. Further silence descended when the city was abandoned by
the 5th century and became deserted.