Vindolanda
Vindolanda
United Kingdom · Northumberland, England
In brief
Successive phases of forts have been excavated at the Roman military site south of Hadrian's Wall. Wooden writing tablets provide direct information about the daily lives of soldiers and their families.
What was found?
- 1Wooden tablets written in ink
Texts written on thin wooden sheets provide firsthand information about military and social life. They are also a valuable source for studying Latin close to the spoken language.
- 2Claudia Severa's birthday invitation
The invitation sent by Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina includes a closing section added in her own hand. According to researchers, this is among the earliest known examples of a woman's handwriting in Latin.
- 3Relief interpreted as Victoria
A reused sandstone relief was found in rubble above the barracks. According to researchers, the figure represents Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, and may have been part of a larger inscription arrangement.
What does it point to?
The tablets show that life in the frontier garrison included family relationships and friendships alongside military duties. According to researchers, the Victoria relief suggests that religious and political symbols also featured in the fort's architecture.
What did it teach us?
- It documented the everyday relationships of people on the Roman frontier through texts they wrote themselves.
- It provided a direct example of women's written communication.
- According to the researchers' interpretation of the relief, it showed that symbols of victory were used in fort buildings.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
2025: A sandstone relief thought to depict Victoria, the goddess of victory, was found in rubble above the infantry barracks.
Record
- Culture
- Roman
- Team / historical
- Vindolanda Trust
- Coordinates
- 54.9911°, -2.3608°
Sources
- vindolanda.com
- romaninscriptionsofbritain.org
- vindolanda.com
- en.wikipedia.org
- Roman Inscriptions of Britain — Tablet 291
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- 12.000
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