Press Release: 21st May 2025

Symbolic find signifying the end of an ancient war uncovered at Roman Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall

A sandstone relief, believed to be a representation of the Roman goddess of Victory, has been discovered reused in a pile of rubble above infantry barracks at Vindolanda.  

 

Victory, known in Latin as Victoria, was the personification of victory in Roman religion and mythology, she was the counterpart of the Greek goddess Nike. Victoria was highly revered by the ancient Romans, during times of war she was often credited for battlefield success. 

The stone is thought to be one side of a much larger relief which would have framed an inscription in its centre. These particular barracks at Vindolanda were built at the end of a tumultuous time for the Romans in Britain, in c AD 213, just after the end of the Severan wars. The barracks were once adorned with a large ornamental arch and gate, precisely the location where an inscription may have been present. The relief of Victory is poignant, representing the end of the war and the establishment of the fort at the site. 

Veteran volunteers Jim and Dilys Quinlan from Merseyside made the discovery on 1^st May whilst taking part in their 21^st year on the excavation programme, assisting the Vindolanda archaeologists in uncovering more of this exceptional site.

Dr Andrew Birley, the Director of Excavations for the Vindolanda Trust said “finds like this are increasingly rare these days from Roman Britain, but the beautifully carved figure vividly reminds us that Roman forts were not simply utilitarian, they had grandeur and of course the symbolism was a vital part of the culture here for the soldiers almost 2,000 years ago. I am also delighted for Jim and Dilys for their discovery. It is just reward for their 21 years of hard work and dedication to this site”.

Roman reliefs like this were often painted with vibrant colours. The Trust’s curator, Barbara Birley noted that “it is highly likely that this stone would have originally been brightly painted. We will be working with our specialists to see if any traces of the pigment remain, so for now the relief is being stored unwashed ready for that further analysis.” 

This artefact will go on public display in early 2026 at the Vindolanda museum as part of the Recent Finds exhibition. With a very successful start to the excavation season at Vindolanda that exhibition will certainly be one to go and see.

The Vindolanda Trust would like to thank Rob Collins, Professor of Frontier Archaeology & Head of Archaeology at Newcastle University for the formal identification of Victory on the newly discovered stone relief.

~ ends ~

The stone relief features in the Video Diary update #2 from Vindolanda 

All images © The Vindolanda Trust

Stone relief measures 47cm x 28cm x 17cm

Press contact: [email protected]

Notes to editor

The Vindolanda Trust

The Vindolanda Trust is an independent archaeological charitable trust, founded in 1970. The Vindolanda Trust does not receive any annual funding and relies on the visitors to both Roman Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum to fund its archaeological, conservation and education work.

Roman Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum are both situated in the heart of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site, Roman Vindolanda is just to the north of the village of Bardon Mill and the Roman Army Museum is next to the village of Greenhead and the adjacent Magna Fort.

Roman Vindolanda is regarded as the most exciting archaeological site in Europe with its wealth of archaeological remains and ongoing excavations. Vindolanda is home to the world famous Vindolanda Writing Tablets, voted as Britain’s top archaeological treasure by the British Museum, these thin handwritten wooden notes have revealed an astonishing amount of first-hand information from the people who lived at this site 2000 years ago. The Vindolanda Trust has been awarded Designation, a mark of distinction celebrating the national importance of the collection.

Website: www.vindolanda.com