A Roman History Lesson September 20, 2006
The area we are currently in has numerous historical sites related to the Roman occupation of Britain. Today we visited the Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda a Roman fort which are both located a short distance from Hadrian’s Wall.
The Army Museum is located at the site of a former Roman encampment and contains hundreds of artifacts that have been uncovered since archeological excavations were begun in this area in the 18th century. The best preserved are not only made of stone but surprisingly made of leather. The items include sandals, shoes and boots worn by not only the soldiers but also by the civilian population that would normally live within close proximity to the forts and military installations. The worn out shoes were thrown into the ditches that surrounded the installations where they were covered with water, clay and peat which almost perfectly preserved them. There were also metal tools, nails, weapons and jewelry uncovered along with pottery and animal bones which give the researchers the information that allows them to put together a guess of how the people lived almost two thousand years ago.
We moved to the Vindolanda Fort which is still being excavated and projections are that it will take another one hundred years to complete the study of this site. The dig last from April to August every year and finds are a daily occurrence during that time. Vindolanda was a fort forty years prior to Hadrian’s Wall being built and its timber stockade had been rebuilt five times by the time of the wall’s construction. After the wall was built Vinolanda was again renovated this time of stone. The fort was rebuilt on the old foundations time after time and this in effect created a time capsule for the earlier artifacts. Intense excavation has been carried on here since 1929 and quite a bit of the walls and the accompanying village outside the fort has been uncovered. The most exciting find here was the discovery of wooden tablets that carried ink writing. These tablets were written by a variety of people both military and private citizens with subjects ranging from military records to birthday party invitations. The birthday invitation is thought to be the only surviving writing by a woman during Roman times. They are considered to be one of the most important archeological finds in Britain. One thing that struck me was the familiar way the writer would inquire about the recipient’s family and send their best wishes.
After the history lesson we drove to Newcastle for a late lunch and a look around. The pizza lunch was good, but the city left us a little cold as it appeared to us to be just another industrial city that did not hold much charm. Certainly an exception to what we have seen in the UK.
The weather was windy, cloudy and warmer in the afternoon with a forecast for clearing tomorrow. We’re planning another hike and will keep our fingers crossed.
The Army Museum is located at the site of a former Roman encampment and contains hundreds of artifacts that have been uncovered since archeological excavations were begun in this area in the 18th century. The best preserved are not only made of stone but surprisingly made of leather. The items include sandals, shoes and boots worn by not only the soldiers but also by the civilian population that would normally live within close proximity to the forts and military installations. The worn out shoes were thrown into the ditches that surrounded the installations where they were covered with water, clay and peat which almost perfectly preserved them. There were also metal tools, nails, weapons and jewelry uncovered along with pottery and animal bones which give the researchers the information that allows them to put together a guess of how the people lived almost two thousand years ago.
We moved to the Vindolanda Fort which is still being excavated and projections are that it will take another one hundred years to complete the study of this site. The dig last from April to August every year and finds are a daily occurrence during that time. Vindolanda was a fort forty years prior to Hadrian’s Wall being built and its timber stockade had been rebuilt five times by the time of the wall’s construction. After the wall was built Vinolanda was again renovated this time of stone. The fort was rebuilt on the old foundations time after time and this in effect created a time capsule for the earlier artifacts. Intense excavation has been carried on here since 1929 and quite a bit of the walls and the accompanying village outside the fort has been uncovered. The most exciting find here was the discovery of wooden tablets that carried ink writing. These tablets were written by a variety of people both military and private citizens with subjects ranging from military records to birthday party invitations. The birthday invitation is thought to be the only surviving writing by a woman during Roman times. They are considered to be one of the most important archeological finds in Britain. One thing that struck me was the familiar way the writer would inquire about the recipient’s family and send their best wishes.
After the history lesson we drove to Newcastle for a late lunch and a look around. The pizza lunch was good, but the city left us a little cold as it appeared to us to be just another industrial city that did not hold much charm. Certainly an exception to what we have seen in the UK.
The weather was windy, cloudy and warmer in the afternoon with a forecast for clearing tomorrow. We’re planning another hike and will keep our fingers crossed.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 11:30 AM
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