2024 Magna Excavations

1st April 2024 - 27th September 2024

The excavation site will be closed to visitors for next few weeks due to flooding. To protect the archaeology and wildlife, we ask you to respect this decision and check back on our website for further updates.

The Magna excavations are part of a 5 year project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will continue until 2027. Next years excavations will kick off in April 2024 and run through until September 2024, continuing the current area of excavations Milecastle 46 and beginning to explore the Vallum ditches to the south. 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.

Aerial image of Hadrians Wall line with Vallum diversion to the south and and then the fort of Magna

Latest

WelcoMe booking page

Page with access to the WelcoMe apps to notify staff of upcoming visits
Lost (Letters) & Found (Photographs)

Guest blog: Dr Catherine Teitz
When a photograph can’t speak a thousand words, but a letter can. Dr Teitz looks at photographs from the Vindolanda archive and how they can help us understand more about the site and its history. Continuing the blog series on Archive Archaeology.
Productive Piles of Paper

Guest blog: Dr Catherine Teitz
Continuing the blog series on Archive Archaeology, Dr Teitz is looking at where our archives are and what can be found within them.
Archive Archaeology

Guest blog: Dr Catherine Teitz
Ever wondered how archaeologists keep learning about the site beyond the excavation and the lab? Or wondered why all their paperwork might be important? Archives are so much more than silent libraries, crumbling books, and dusty boxes. Find out more here!

2024 Vindolanda Excavations

8th April - 20th September 2024
Roman Vindolanda Fort
The archaeologists and their teams of volunteers will be out Mon - Fri weather permitting. We'll be excavating a new area of the site this year. Come see history as it is uncovered. There will be no excavations at Vindolanda in July & August.
Romans Return To Vindolanda

17th & 18th August 2024
Roman Vindolanda
Vindolanda welcomes back the world famous Ermine Street Guard for a Roman weekend extravaganza. Celebrating 50 years of the Vindolanda Trust working with the Guard. Demonstrations, displays and Roman army school, learn about life in the Roman army and see Vindolanda brought to life.
Friends Evening

22nd June 2024
Roman Army Museum
A chance for all of our Friends of Vindolanda members to learn about what has taken place at Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum over the last year, including excavation and research updates and a look at the new facilities at the Roman Army Museum.

Tickets

How to visit Vindolanda Roman Fort and Museum and the Roman Army Museum. This page will take you through the new systems we have in place for visiting our sites, what is open and how to visit.
Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum

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.
Roman Army Museum

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.
Booking and Visiting FAQ's

Have you got questions about what to expect when you arrive or how to book? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page which answers some of our visitors most popular queries.
Luna, Moon Goddess

Volunteer blog - Jackie James
The ancient Roman moon goddess, Luna, derives her name from the Latin lucere, meaning ‘to shine’ and was seen not only as the divine embodiment of the moon but also the female counterpart of the sun, Sol.
Getting here

How to find us no matter how you like to travel. Whether biking, busing or marching, make your journey as smooth as possible and enjoy more time with us.
Day Planner

This is a suggested day planner for your visit to Roman Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum.
Book a Place

Find out about what's involved, how to participate and when you can see the digging taking place. We are now fully booked for the 2024 Excavation season.
Work for us

Find out about any opportunities to join the award winning teams at Vindolanda and the Roman Army Musuem. We currently have three new fixed term posts with the Vindolanda Trust- Part of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and based at the Roman Site of Magna.
Local Accommodation

There is a vast range of places to stay near to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum with all budgets catered for.

Carved stone depicting mystery horseman uncovered.

A beautifully carved sandstone relief which depicts a naked male figure holding a spear stood in front of a horse/donkey has been uncovered during the annual excavations at the Roman fort of Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. Read more