What do the Vindolanda tablets say?

The documents record official military matters as well as personal messages to and from members of the garrison of Vindolanda, their families, and their slaves.

Why is Vindolanda important?

Vindolanda. It was once a strong, sturdy and impressive Roman settlement and fort placed in the north-east of the UK. These forts were used to house Roman soldiers and they were also designed to control the movements of the tribes to regulate the trade between Roman Britain and the barbarians located next to them.

Who found the Vindolanda tablets?

Dr Robin Birley
Dr Robin Birley, who also discovered tablets at Vindolanda in 1970s and 1980s, added: ‘There is nothing more exciting than reading these personal messages from the distant past. ‘ For more information on Vindolanda, its tablets, and the current excavation, visit www.vindolanda.com.

What was discovered at Vindolanda?

A recently uncovered artefact at Vindolanda sheds a new light on the Dark Ages of Britain. Hidden in the remains of a 6th century Christian church, inside the previously occupied Roman Fort, were the fragmentary remains of a lead vessel, lightly etched with symbols of early Christian iconography.

Why are the Vindolanda tablets important to historians?

The Vindolanda tablets were found mainly in a waterlogged rubbish heap… They can tell us a great deal about the nature of life on the Roman frontier, not just in a military context. Yet the Vindolanda tablets can tell us some very interesting things about the way the Roman army was run on the northern frontier.

When was Vindolanda discovered?

1973
In 1973 the first of the famous Vindolanda writing tablets were found by Robin Birley and his team as well as many thousands of well-preserved wooden and leather artefacts and the Trust built up enough resources to purchase the once Hedley and Birley nearby family home, Chesterholm cottage, and turn it into a museum.

What is the meaning of Vindolanda?

Vindolanda means white lawns or white fields. We know that the Roman name for the fort was Vindolanda because of an altar set up by the civilians at Vindolanda to the god Vulcan which was found during drainage works in 1914. The altar is on display in the Vindolanda museum.

Is Vindolanda in Scotland?

Vindolanda was a Roman fort at Chesterholm, just south of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. Near the modern border with Scotland, it guarded the Stanegate, the Roman road from the River Tyne to the Solway Firth.

Is vindolanda in Scotland?

Who was Barates?

This tombstone is evidence for immigration and the mixing of cultures 1800 years ago. It was set up outside the Roman fort at South Shields in north-east England and records a British woman called Regina, who originally came from south-east England, and a man called Barates, who came from Palmyra in Syria.

Why was vindolanda abandoned?

Perhaps the garrison had been so depleted it was no longer viable or perhaps it had moved within the walls of the fort. Some evidence exists of repairs made around AD 370 but thereafter the fort was abandoned as the Romans withdrew from Britain.

Is vindolanda the same as housesteads?

Housesteads Fort is actually on the line of Hadrians Wall Vindolanda is a fort in the rear area of Hadrians wall where reinforcements waited if needed. From the point of view of the mobility of an elderly person Vindolanda is on a relatively flat site that has better access than Housteads.

Where can I find the Vindolanda Tablets Online?

Images, texts, and translations of some of the Vindolanda Tablets can be found at the Vindolanda Tablets Online. Many of the tablets themselves are at stored at the British Museum and visiting the Vindolanda Trust website is well worth it as well. Birley A. 2002.

What kind of letters were sent to Vindolanda?

The number of letters sent to Vindolanda from other places show this technology was widespread; other examples have subsequently been found at Carlisle. The letters, lists and memoranda show a wide range of handwriting, from the elegant hand of the prefect of the ninth cohort of Batavians Flavius Cerialis to the scrawl of ordinary soldiers.

Where was the Roman fort of Vindolanda located?

Vindolanda was built at the place where two streams conjoin to create the Chinley Burn, which ends up in the South Tyne river. As such, the fort’s occupants struggled with wet conditions for most of the four centuries or so that the Romans lived here.

What do the Vindolanda tablets say? The documents record official military matters as well as personal messages to and from members of the garrison of Vindolanda, their families, and their slaves. Why is Vindolanda important? Vindolanda. It was once a strong, sturdy and impressive Roman settlement and fort placed in the north-east of the UK.…