Are all Roman forts built to the same plan? Expand Although all had similar headquarters buildings, commanding officers residence, granaries and workshops, cavalry forts were much larger than those of the infantry, providing more space for cavalrymen and their horses. Only the largest forts had hospitals. The smallest Wall forts occupy little more than 3 acres – the largest was 11 acres.
Can anyone come along and dig at Vindolanda? Expand As part of our research excavation we welcome volunteers from all backgrounds and countries, as long as you are over 17 years if age (17 years old must be accompanied by an adult) and physically fit. More information is available in our excavate section.
Could the soldiers speak, read and write Latin? Expand Latin was the official language of the army and evidence from the Vindolanda writing tablets suggests that the soldiers could write in Latin very well. In later years, and especially in the 4th century, standards declined.
Did soldiers return to the mainland once they had finished their military service? Expand It all depends on the soldier and on where he came from there is evidence of both. Sometimes they had been away from their birth place for so long and they had married a local woman and so therefore wanted to stay where they were. Some soldiers were also given their pension in land and would settle their upon retirement. Often soldiers would settle together creating colonies.
Did the Romans use slave labour to build the Wall? Expand No, the Wall was built by the skilled Roman legionary masons, with thousands of auxiliary soldiers providing the labour and bringing the vital building supplies to the construction areas.
Did the soldiers have slaves? Expand Yes, some did. It was dependent of their socioeconomic status. Higher ranking officer would have had slaves.We have evidence of slaves at Vindolanda from the Ink Writing Tablets.
How did the men from Italy cope with Britain’s awful weather? Expand Probably not very well, but only a tiny percentage of Roman soldiers serving in Britain came from Italy. The majority originated from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. It is also now thought that the climate in Britain at the time was a little warmer - and wetter – than it is today.
How did the Roman buildings become covered in grass? Expand At the end of the Roman occupation the buildings were abandoned and eventually fell into disrepair. Windblown soil gradually started to cover collapsed buildings allowing grass and weeds to establish themselves and grow over the remains.
How large was the Roman Army? Expand The numbers varied, but roughly half a million men served at most times in the army throughout the Empire – and Britain had more troops than any other province.
How long did it take to build the fort? Expand The standard answer to this is about 2 years in stone, quicker if the fort was built in wood but the outer defences would have been constructed first and then the internal building would take place.
How long did people live? Expand Depending on the time, occupation and wealth. The average for women in Roman Britain was 28. 52 for men.
How long was Hadrian’s Wall? Expand When completed, nearly 74 English miles long, or 80 Roman miles, but with an extension of the system (without a physical Wall) down the Western coast for a further 40 miles. Hadrian’s Wall stretches from Wallsend in the east, through Newcastle-upon-Tyne and westwards to Bowness on Solway in Cumbria with the extension travelling to Maryport on the Cumbrian coast.
How many legionary soldiers were stationed on the Wall? Expand Very few – the garrisons in the forts were nearly all auxiliary soldiers – infantry, cavalry and specialist troops like the Syrian archers at Carvoran. After building was completed, the legionary soldiers retired to their bases at Chester, Caerleon and York.
How much did a soldier earn in a week/month? Expand Depending on the time, legionaries get basic 300 denarii a year, auxiliary slightly less, cavalrymen slightly more. As you move up ranks you receive more pay. Centurions are on 4,500 denarii per year.
Is there much of Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman Frontier left to excavate? Expand Little more than 5% of the Roman remains in the North have been examined so far and excavations will probably still be in progress in 200 years time! Excavation is a slow and expensive process, but modern archaeology and advanced techniques reveal far more about Roman life than was previously possible.
Journey times on roman roads and postal systems? Expand Two postal services were available under the empire, one public and one private. The Cursus publicus, founded by Augustus, carried the mail of officials by relay throughout the Roman road system. The vehicle for carrying mail was a cisium with a box, but for special delivery, a horse and rider was faster. One reference states that a relay of horses could carry a letter 800 km in 24 hours. The postman wore a characteristic leather hat, the petanus. The postal service was a somewhat dangerous occupation, as postmen were a target for bandits and enemies of Rome. Private mail of the well-to-do was carried by tabellarii, an organization of slaves available for a price.
Was it a lonely life for the soldiers of the Wall? Expand Far from it! There were probably more civilians living in the Wall zone than soldiers, and many were the families of the serving soldiers. As time went on, large numbers of the soldier’s sons would have joined up in their local regiments.
Were people living here before the fort was built? What would the local people have been doing? Expand There is evidence of an Iron Age hillfort on Barcombe Hill behind the site and we know there were people here. We have not found any evidence of inhabitants before the Romans on the fort site but we do have 9 forts on top of each other and it becomes very difficult to get down to those first levels. The local people would have mixed which the Roman, some adopting their customs and trading with them.
What did the surrounding landscape look like when the Romans arrived in this part of Britain? Expand Similar to what it looks like now.
What does Vindolanda mean and how do you know that is what the Romans called this fort? Expand 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. The name Vindolanda has also been discovered on some of the writing tablets.
What is the most valuable thing you can find on an excavation? Expand ‘Value’ to an archaeologist or historian has nothing to do with money, and the answer to the question depends on what kind of information is required. It might be an inscription on the stone, recording a previously unknown regiment or Governor of Britain, or evidence for the worship of a new god. At Vindolanda the most prized of all finds are the writing tablets as these rare Roman records give a unique insight into the thoughts of Vindolanda’s Roman inhabitants.
What sort of signalling systems did the Romans use? Expand There were signal towers on Hadrian’s Wall which the Romans used to signal the other forts. The closest to Vindolanda was on Barcombe hill behind the fort.