Vindolanda

Vindolanda, here in Northumbria, Britain, is a very active historical site – ruins preserved,  artifacts cataloged and work ongoing to tell the story of the site, before, during and after the Roman era. It’s also in some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen so far.

Vindolanda was not just a fort (castra) but it had its own town (vicus) that sprang up nearby and facilitated trade and supported the Roman army.  Many times, Roman soldiers would retire in these villages or freed slaves would start a new life and business. All was well while the Romans were around – but by the 3^rd century, Roman interest in Britain was beginning to wane. What stories did Vindolanda tell through the artifacts left behind?

I did get to the site on the late side, but still in time to talk to the archaeologists and volunteers about their work and what new finds were being uncovered.  One group was working – quite literally – in the muck. They were working to recover wooden fragments in the muck, fragments persevered in the anaerobic mess that could have been from some of the earliest wooden structures (before the actual stone fortification was constructed).  Radio carbon dating could help determine the age of the tree the wood was cut from, certifying whether this was from an earlier version.  It was difficult work – pulling up shovels of thick, viscous mud, placing it in slop buckets then taking it to be sorted and sifted later.

Another team was excavating a Roman road that ran through the fortification in an effort to level the site as visitors approached the more recent additions to the fort.  Again, nothing glamorous, but they did report finding pottery shards and small, metal fragments.

The last dig team I got to visit was working on what they think was an early Christian shrine or church, from the 4^th century. It is unclear if this was the work of Romans or later settlers. They are working to date some of the artifacts that they found. Just last week, the team at Vindolanda discovered a human footprint in a clay slab. You can read about that here.  The work at Vindolanda has helped historians understand more and more about the reach of the Roman Empire, the customs the Romans brought to Britain and the customs they adopted from locals while they were here. 

The Vindolanda tablets, preserved in that anaerobic muck, show us that many Romans were literate and sent letters back and forth to one another. On these wooden planks they inscribed their business dealings, wills, correspondence to families – even birthday invitations! This will be a great resource to use with the students and the Vindolanda tablets are digitized and available online (a great classroom resource!).

The Romans had their own cursive alphabet - and more people were literate than you would think!

I was impressed with the display of artifacts, the purposefulness of their selection and the narrative that told the story of the site. It would also be my last exploration along Hadrian’s Wall in the country. 

Sycamore Gap

The pastoral scenes of the English countryside slid past me as the last bus of the day on route AD122 made its way home.  The next day would be devoted to learning about the sites in Newcastle, the eastern terminus of the wall.