Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
The Vindolanda Trust
  • Search
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Buy tickets Donate
  • Twitter
Menu
  • Visit us
    • Book Your Visit
    • Our Sites
      • Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum
      • Roman Army Museum
      • Day Planner
    • Getting Here
    • School Visits
    • Group visits
    • Places to stay and services
      • Stay with us
      • Local Accommodation
      • Local Interest
  • Events
    • Events
    • Lectures
  • Learn
    • Blogs & more
    • Schools
    • Families
    • Global Vindolanda
      • A Closer Look
      • Favourite Five
      • Vindolanda Inspired
  • Support us
    • Appeals
    • Donate
    • Friends and members
    • Excavate
      • Vindolanda Excavations
      • Consolidation & Conservation
      • Scheduled Monument Consent
    • Volunteering
    • American Donors
  • Shop
  • About us
    • Who we are
      • History of the Trust
      • Trustees and Patrons
      • Meet the team
    • Our Vision
    • Our Collection
      • What is Designation?
      • National Significance
      • Outstanding Quality
      • Research
      • Blogs
    • News
    • World Heritage
    • Work for us
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Outstanding Quality

Outstanding Quality

All objects in the Vindolanda collection are the result of research excavations.  Once an object is found, it is taken to the on-site laboratory and, after conservation is complete, it is catalogued and prioritised for display at Vindolanda, the Roman Army Museum or on-site storage. 

The extensive collection holds objects of many different materials including metal work, wood, leather and textile as well as bulk collection of pottery, glass and animal bone. While all these groups of objects have made their important contributions to the overall history of the site and its inhabitants, some stand out more than others. The organic preservation at Vindolanda, made possible by the anaerobic (oxygen free) archaeological levels, has produced an unparalleled collection of everyday Roman objects.

Anaerobic finds

The Vindolanda writing tablets are probably the most famous objects to come from the site and they throw an invaluable light on the lives of the people of Vindolanda. These documents make up the oldest known archive of written material from Britain. The museum displays thirteen tablets on loan from the British Museum and actively engages an international team of experts, who continue to research and interpret these ancient texts.

Anaerobic ground conditions have also enabled the survival of the leather collection, which is the largest single site collection of such objects from the Roman period. Objects include tents, a saddle, horse gear, drawstring bags, decorations and offcuts. However, the c. 5,000 items of footwear are the most evocative leather objects. Every possible type of footwear has been found, from soldiers’ marching boots, off-duty sandals, ordinary shoes, slippers and the wooden clogs worn by men, women and children. The high numbers of female and child footwear demonstrate the importance of the collection to our knowledge of the gender variation of this site. The knowledge that women and children were present in multiple periods of Vindolanda’s occupation and has changed our understanding of the nature of the military community on the northern frontier.

The Vindolanda textile collection is the largest collection of Roman textiles in Western Europe. Woven almost exclusively from the wool of northern sheep, there is evidence of a variety of fragments from heavy jerseys to very thin bandages. A child’s sock and an insole for a shoe are the only complete objects but parts of tunics, cloaks, sleeping mats and striped fabrics have also been discovered.

In addition to the textiles there are other extremely rare, fragile and exceptional objects. Two of these are made from a local plant called hair moss which has the property of repelling insects. The plant has long, russet red, strong, hair-like fibres which makes it ideal for use in different types of woven objects. A remarkable Vindolanda find is a wig or hat which has a complex woven top with long, loose strands of hairs which hang down to shade the face. The second object is an extraordinary helmet crest (on display at the Roman Army Museum), almost certainly the only known example now in existence, which would have decorated the top of a centurion’s helmet.    

Wooden objects have survived extremely well in the anaerobic levels on the site. Apart from construction pieces from buildings, including a complete set of water pipes, the wooden items are dominated by barrels, often stamped with maker’s marks, bucket and mug staves, bungs, tent pegs, fragments of furniture, boxes and bowls, hair combs and even a few toys.

Metalwork, Glass and Stone

The Vindolanda collection has one of Britain’s most comprehensive range of iron tools and weapons. Weapons include daggers, swords and numerous spears, arrows and ballista bolts. The tools’ collection includes everyday objects which would have been essential to the people living here: axes, hammers, wrecking bars and locks and keys. Remarkably, many of the tools could still be used and are similar to their modern counterpart.

The astonishing array of personal objects from the collection demonstrates the preferences and variations in the socio-economic status of the Vindolanda people. From fine hair nets, silver and gold-tipped hair pins to objects carved from animal bones, this part of the collection shows that while some objects had a utilitarian as well as decorative purpose like the brooches and buckles, jewellery and other items were purely for individual status and adornment.

The glass collection has a full range of objects including window glass, bottles and bowls, and jewellery such as beads, bracelets and rings. Outstanding amongst these is the painted glass section including a truly exceptional painted glass bowl with a gladiatorial scene which was imported from Cologne in the Rhineland. The bowl was broken in a 3rd century tavern located just outside the west gate of the fort. One fragment was found in the corner of a ditch during excavations in 1972 and two further pieces were discovered in excavations in 1992 and 2007. Now joined for the first time in nearly 2000 years, they form the most part of a painted bowl. The bowl illustrates the importance of the on-going work on the site, which continually contributes to the increasing significance of the collection.

The written words of the inhabitants of Vindolanda are embedded in the collection not only through the writing tablets but also via the building inscriptions, altars, sculpted stones with religious connotation, inscribed tombstones and the numerous stamps and graffiti that form part of the collection. They remind us that there was a widespread level of literacy during this period of Britain’s history.  The religious dedications are very revealing and include Jupiter (and Jupiter Dolichenus), the Fortune of the Roman People, the Genius of the Praetorium, Vulcan, De Gallia, Ahvardua, Silvanus, Neptune, Apollo, Mars Victor, Hercules, Mercury and a clutch of native gods – the Veteres, Sattada, Cocidius, Mogons and the Mother Goddess. From these inscriptions we can also get the names of the garrisons as well as the person who dedicated the altar.  

This range of once everyday objects (which have now become rare and precious), paired with their full archaeological context, constitutes an essential and priceless cultural resource that makes this an outstanding collection of national importance.

Published: 25th November, 2020

Updated: 30th November, 2020

Author: Barbara Birley

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Ceres and the Festival of Cerialia

    Ceres and the Festival of Cerialia

    Whenever we talk about breakfast cereal and cereal crops, we are invoking the name of Ceres, the Roman Goddess of agriculture. So why did the Romans worship and celebrate her? What was her role? Why was she important? Find out more here.

  • Magna Charity Vespa Ride

    Magna Charity Vespa Ride

    Andy and I are 2 nurses with 50-some years of re-enactment (mostly Roman) behind us. We have, over the years, developed a close relationship with Vindolanda. We were inspired by the Vespa ride last year (Vindolanda via Britannia) and plan to do a similar trip to raise funds for the Revealing Magna Appeal.

  • Megalesia and comparisons of ‘The Mother Goddess'

    Megalesia and comparisons of ‘The Mother Goddess'

    The Mother Goddess is one of the most important in Ancient religions.  The festival of Megalesia in Ancient Rome celebrated the Mother Goddess. This blog explores this festival and looks briefly at wider other Mother Goddess belief systems.

  • Roman Pottery Demonstration

    Roman Pottery Demonstration

    1st - 3rd June 2021
    Meet Potted History's Graham Taylor at Roman Vindolanda. See how Romans made their pots and learn about the Roman pottery of Vindolanda.

Related

  • Research

    Research

    The site and its collection are under constant research helping us to understand not only Vindolanda better but Hadrian's Wall and the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.

  • National Significance

    National Significance

    What makes the Vindolanda Collection of national significance and why should we protect it?

  • What is Designation?

    What is Designation?

    The Designation Scheme has identified the best collections held in museums, libraries and archives across England. The Scheme seeks to recognize and protect these outstanding collections.

Most read

  • Roman Leather Toy Mouse Discovered

    Roman Leather Toy Mouse Discovered

    Curatorial staff at Roman Vindolanda make a lockdown discovery of an ancient leather toy mouse, which had been hidden in amongst the ancient scrap leather recovered from the site.

  • Brigomaglos

    Brigomaglos

    Was the end of Roman Britain the end of Vindolanda? Our journey into discovering more about sub-Roman Vindolanda started with the discovery of the probable war-band leader of the site from the 5th or 6th centuries, a man called ‘Brigomaglos’ which was discovered over 130 years ago.

  • Home Learning

    Home Learning

    Activity sheets for home learning fun. From Roman cooking ideas to spot the difference and much more, there is something for everyone.

  • The Praetorium

    The Praetorium

    Director of Excavations Andrew Birley takes us through the fascinating history of the grandest house at Vindolanda and what some of the amazing discoveries that have come from it tell us about the people who lived there.

  • Colin's Top 10

    Colin's Top 10

    Deputy CEO Colin Galloway gives us his top 10 about the Vindolanda Trust from artefacts to spaces.

  • Severan Skulls

    Severan Skulls

    Dr Trudi Buck takes a closer look at the human skull unearthed during the 2018 excavation of the Severan fort ditch at Vindolanda.

  • Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum

    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.

  • The 2021 Vindolanda Excavations

    The 2021 Vindolanda Excavations

    The Vindolanda excavations begin again on 29th March. The team are excited to get back in the trenches and welcome back local volunteers to the site with more joining as the season progresses. Marta Alberti gives us a snapshot of where the excavations are and what they hope to achieve this year.

  • Ancient timber posts

    Ancient timber posts

    Both visitors and volunteers have been very curious as to what those beautiful timber posts sticking out of the ground are. Here is what the archaeologists have concluded so far.

  • Tickets

Survival Appeal

Survival Appeal

After an unprecedented 2020 it looks like 2021 is going to be tough too. Please consider supporting us and contributing to our future. Thank you for your incredible support. Read more

Donate Fundraise

Published: 23rd March, 2020

Updated: 15th February, 2021

Author: Penny Trichler

Location: Chesterholm Museum, Bardon Mill, Hexham, NE47 7JN

Comments: 13

Latest tweet

Sign up for our newsletter

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Contact us
  • Full sitemap
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Charity No. 1159798 Company No. 9182268

© Copyright 2019 Charity. All rights reserved.


+44 (0)1434 344277