The archaeology collection consists of over 12,000 man-made objects that date to before the end of the Tudors in 1603. The majority of these come from the northern part of Cumbria and Carlisle, but some objects in the collection come from much further afield.

The oldest object in the archaeology collection is a hand-axe dating to 10,000 BC. The majority is much more recent. The Prehistory collection includes material from the polished stone-axe ‘factory’ in the Langdale area of the central Lake District. The Early Bronze Age is represented by funeral pottery and metalwork. There are only a few objects that date to later prehistory. The Roman collection covers the City of Carlisle, called Luguvalium Carvettiorum by the Romans, and the western end of Hadrian’s Wall located within Cumbria. The Early Medieval period is again sparsely represented, but includes two important Viking burials. The post-conquest Medieval material includes pottery and religious objects as well as rare wooden and leather finds.

The museum also holds an extensive collection of coins dating from the beginning of the Roman period through to the late 20th century. This includes several excavated hoards from the Roman and Medieval periods.