2026 Magna Excavations

Monday - Friday 6th April 2026 - 18th September 2026

Visitors to the Roman Army Museum are welcome to visit the excavation area and weather permitting Monday-Friday 10am-12noon, 1pm-2:30pm & 3pm-4pm to see the team uncovering history. Suitable footwear for walking through a field recommended.

The Magna excavations are part of a 5 year project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will continue until 2027. This years excavations are exploring the praetorium (commanding officers house) inside the last fort at Magna where they will spend the next two years. You can find out more about the excavation plans for the project and our Scheduled Monument Consent.

To keep up to date with the excavations at Magna visit our Dig Diary for the latest news from the trenches. Hear from our Magna team about the archaeology, recent finds and daily life on the excavations.

The site is not accessible and you need to cover rough terrain to reach the excavation area, sturdy boots and trousers are recommended. Download our visual story for the excavations here.

Visitors at the edge of Magna Excavations talking to an archaeologist and volunteer about the latest find - a shoe.

Event details

Where

Roman Army Museum & Magna Fort, Greenhead, CA8 7JB

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When

Start: 6^th April, 2026 at 10:00am

End: 18^th September, 2026 at 4:00pm

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Tickets

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Visit Roman Vindolanda today and you will find one of the North East’s most famous and not to be missed tourist attractions lying in the beautiful landscape of Hadrian's Wall Country. Formerly a key military post on the northern frontier of Britain, Vindolanda is the home of Britain's 'Top Treasure' - the Vindolanda Writing Tablets - and is one Europe's most important Roman archaeological sites, with live excavations taking place every year.

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Lying in magnificent countryside next to a sweeping section of Hadrian's Wall and based at the site of Magna Roman Fort, the Roman Army Museum is an authentic and dramatic tribute to Rome’s extraordinary military legacy. Step into the life of a Roman soldier and experience life on the front line of Emperor Hadrian’s formidable British frontier.

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Author: Sonya Galloway