Digging deep at Vindolanda
- lindaglamour
- Aug 31, 2016
- 2 min read
Set back half a mile from Hadrian's Wall is the Roman Fort of Vindolanda. Occupied and active even earlier than the wall, Vindolanda is made up of not one but nine forts. The first few forts were made of wood, their structures preserved and still below the ground. The conditions at Vindolanda preserve organic materials well so wood, leather etc still survive. The forts then became built of stone as each garrison which took control of Vindolanda built bigger and better.
As a volunteer I joined the Excavation Team Phase 11 and fulfilled a lifelong dream of working on a live archaeological site excavating the Romans!
Digging at York was an emotional journey but here at Vindolanda it is a physical challenge that one confronts every day. The site is strewn with large stones the remains of demolished walls and floors. Some walls approximately 60 centimetres high are uncovered and it is these that form the work pathways in the main, so that one's not stepping on 'archaeology' the term used to describe anything that is or could be uncovered.
In the week prior to my arrival at Vindolanda the excavation of the Vicus (the village outside the fort) unearthed 250 pairs of shoes. Vindolanda has the largest collection of roman footwear of anywhere! My modest contribution was excavating various small pieces of pot, an iron nail, a row of pigs teeth (a tad unnerving at first encounter) and the very monument itself of the roman barracks which we were working in. A previously unknown wall from the 4th Century was the main dating area I was working on.
There is beauty at Vindolanda. The existing archaeology shows us bath houses and temples, palatial sized living accommodation and impressive public buildings. Standing amidst the debris looking at the ground then up to the heather covered hills it takes imagination to see this place as the bustling location it must have been. Fortunately one area of the site shows us what the Romans would have seen.
The museum showcases how our finds are preserved and the wealth of items recovered during the excavation. There is enough that if one continued digging at Vindolanda for over 100 years there would still be work to be done.
Vindolanda is not the only Roman site here in Northumberland. Hadrian and his highway/wall ensured that there were numerous forts and turrets along its length. At Chesters and Crawfield I walked through a similar but still different view of the roman world. Chester Fort and Bridge is much smaller and intimate. Its remains preserved and one is able to safely walk and explore the grounds. The bridge site is on the river Tyne and it is a beautiful location. One thinks that Northumberland is simply cold and wild however the Romans knew how to pick not only strategic but also beautiful locations.
And how could I not walk the wall?
