Vindolanda: a window on life in the Roman army

Join Time Team's Guy de la Bédoyère, Vindolanda Trust Curator Barbara Birley and historian and novelist Adrian Goldsworthy to explore the realities of fort life on Rome's northernmost frontier.

Vindolanda, meaning 'white fields' in Latin, is a Roman fort in Northumberland, just south of Hadrian's Wall. Its fame comes from the discovery in 1973 of the Vindolanda tablets, Roman letters written on thin pieces of wood which were, at the time of the discovery, the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain. They illuminate what life and society was like in and around a frontier auxiliary fort. They include, from AD 100, the earliest example of a woman's handwriting in the Roman empire, a birthday party invitation from the fort commander's wife, Claudia Severa, to her sister.

In this eye-opening talk, the speakers discuss the wider context of Vindolanda, its importance and the array of objects discovered there which show the Roman way of life in the northernmost frontier of the empire.

This event is part of the public programme supporting the exhibition Legion: life in the Roman army (1 February – 23 June 2024).

More information about the exhibition can be found here:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibit...

Sign up to our newsletters for the latest news on our work, stories about the collection and upcoming events: https://emails.britishmuseum.org/k/Br...

We’re bringing inspiring stories of humanity’s shared histories and cultural achievements to millions of people online. Your support ensures that we can continue to make the collection and videos like this one available to as many people as possible. If you can, please donate today: http://ow.ly/1e1Y30qHebG or you can text BMLEARN to 70085. Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message (UK mobile networks only).

Please see our social media code of conduct: http://ow.ly/HGiw30se20t

Image: Wooden writing tablet from Vindolanda, with a party invitation written in ink from Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina. Romano-British, present-day Northumberland, England, about AD 100.

Image: Wooden writing tablet from Vindolanda, with a party invitation written in ink from Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina. Romano-British, present-day Northumberland, England, about AD 100.

Collection online: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collect...

© The Trustees of the British Museum