Museum of Archaeology in Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom | Museum

Welcome to Southampton's Museum of Archaeology. The Museum of Archaeology displays artefacts from prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and medieval Southampton. It also has objects from outside Southampton, including some from ancient Egypt. God's House Tower itself is a fascinating historic building.

God's House Tower stands at the south-east corner of the town walls which had once encircled medieval Southampton, United Kingdom. The whole structure is really an amalgamation of two buildings; a simple gatehouse, built in the late thirteenth century and extended in the early fourteenth century, and a massive spur work, an early fifteenth- century addition consisting of a two-storey gallery and a three-storey great tower.

As Southampton's Museum of Archaeology it is appropriate that God's House Tower should illustrate the three important periods in the town's history: Roman, Saxon and Medieval.

Roman Clausentum (now Bitterne Manor) was founded as a port circa AD 1O. Among other things it exported lead from the Mendips. Towards the end of the third century it had become a fort and part of the coastal defences. The collections include examples of the distinctive New Forest Pottery, and glass and jewellery.

Saxon Hamwic , sited in the city's St. Mary's area, was the first of the great English mercantile towns and existed as an industrial and trade centre for approximately 150 years. The Hamwic exhibition at the Museum attempts to re-create the daily life of the Saxon community.

Medieval Southampton probably acquired its present shape during the Norman period when the town defences were laid out. Documentary sources reinforce the archaeological evidence that Southampton was the home of numerous wealthy merchants. Collections on display include fine imported medieval pottery and glass.