Cabinet Secretary for Education re-opens The Hunterian Museum

After almost two years of closure, the University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum has been formally re-opened by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell MSP. At a ceremony on Thursday 15 September, the Cabinet Secretary, who was introduced by the Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, paid tribute to The Hunterian as "not just Scotland's oldest museum, but one which continues to excite and delight." Mr Russell also said that the new permanent gallery at The Hunterian, The Antonine Wall: Rome's Final Frontier, "provided a wonderful opportunity to see the true scale of one of Scotland's five World Heritage Sites", adding that it was "The one that is least well known and perhaps least well understood. "It is a marvellous exhibition, and the scale and extent of the exhibits on show, from the monumental scultpure to some of the tiniest tools used by those who built the wall are truly astonishing. " The new gallery, which is open to the public from today {Friday 16 September} and which is free of charge, showcases The Hunterian's unique collection of Roman artefacts recovered from the Antonine Wall, many of which are on display for the first time. Professor David Gaimster, Director of The Hunterian, who spoke at the launch event, said that, "The Hunterian is delighted to showcase its new permanent exhibition: The Antonine Wall: Rome's Final Frontier. The new gallery makes a crucial contribution to our appreciation and understanding of the Scottish cultural heritage and acts as a visitor orientation point for the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site.