There was a craze/phase in 2024 where a trend on TikTok asked people “what [their] Roman Empire was.” To the uninitiated, you might ask – what on earth does that mean? In a nutshell, some women found that their partners thought about the Roman Empire at least once a day, and had a surprising amount of knowledge about the ancient civilisation. Curious, when they widened the net and asked more men, it turned out that a lot of them thought about the Roman Empire on a regular or semi-regular basis, so it became a bit of a meme asking people what their Roman Empire was (i.e. what did they think about on a regular basis that was altogether abstract and nothing to do with their day-to-day happenings?). Well, in this part of Northumberland, my Roman Empire is… the Roman Empire.
This was to be the Edge of the Empire.
Around here it’s a little difficult for it not to be, with so much history literally springing from the ground wherever you look. Clearly, the most obvious and enduring legacy in the minds of most people is Hadrian’s Wall, begun in 122AD, and stretching from coast to coast through Tyneside, Northumberland, and Cumbria. Along the wall are forts, milecastles, and turrets, where soldiers were garrisoned as they manned the wall, keeping what lay beyond safe from maurauding tribes. Hadrian’s Wall was briefly superseded by the Antonine Wall, built further North from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, but this was a less permanent structure (being turf built) and was abandoned (more or less) in 162AD, only two decades after it was built, with soldiers withdrawing to Hadrian’s Wall. That was it, there would be no further expansion north for Rome, this was to be the Edge of the Empire (an award winning film that can be viewed at the Roman Army Museum).
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However, one of the greatest Roman legacies left behind in this part of the world, without a doubt is Vindolanda, an enormous fort and ongoing excavation found just south of Hadrian’s Wall. I was lucky enough to be invited on a private tour with Damien Rudge, who’s been involved as a volunteer and archaeologist at Vindolanda and the excavation for years, and therefore has extensive knowledge of the site and its history. It was very windy and quite rainy when we were wandering around, but in such a dramatic landscape, it only added to the atmosphere! I have to say, I wouldn’t have wanted to be up there in just some Pteruges (the “skirt” that Roman soldiers wore as armour), although I imagine they had wool leggings/very long socks on underneath! Their cloaks were also very thick and could be drawn completely around the body to keep out the biting wind.
One of the most important things to remember about Roman life in these forts it’s that they were manned by soldiers from all over the Roman world, not just by those from Italy, or it’s neighbouring countries. Evidence found at Vindolanda suggests that in the four or so centuries that the fort and town were occupied by “Romans,” they came from modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, Syria, Romania, Hungary, and Libya. This was because, as the Romans conquered different parts of the Mediterranean, Europe, & the Near East, conquered peoples were drafted into the army to “assimilate” them to the Roman way of life, it being imagined that if they were having to fight for Rome then they would be less likely to rebel. There was also the potential reward that, if you managed to survive twenty-five years in the army, then you were granted Roman Citizenship, and all the privileges and perks that came along with that. Of course, twenty-five years was a long time to survive in a very dangerous and hard occupation…
From the first fort built at Vindolanda in AD85, to the last built in 213AD – nine different forts were built in that location, with each former structure being buried under a layer of soil and the new one built on top. This raised the level of the fort by several feet each time, but also meant that the former layer was underneath oxygen depleted soil – this protection has meant a high level of preservation for archaeological finds. One of the most incredible of these finds are the Vindolanda Writing Tablets – amazing insights into day to day life at the fort and beyond. Something that makes these tablets so special is that there is no bias to them; they were only intended to be read by the person they are addressed to, no other audience is considered in the composition. In turn this means they are more likely to be an “honest” look at Roman life.
The reason these wooden tablets have survived is amazing in itself: As the 9th Cohort of Batavians were preparing to leave Vindolanda, the commanding officer ordered the burning of the wooden tablets, whether this was just a standard “clear-out” before the new company moved in, or for a particular reason, is difficult to tell. Nonetheless, the tablets were put on the bonfire. However, in typical Northern-British way, a heavy rain shower caused the bonfire to be abandoned and it was left to smoke and smoulder, so the tablets were not fully destroyed. The remaining mulch of wood, tablets, debris, ash, etc was then buried, preserving what was left beneath the oxygen-depleted soil. So far, more than 2000 wooden writing tablets have been found at Vindolanda, which is simply astonishing. These provide a unique insight into how Romans communicated with each other, what their daily lives were like, the prices of goods, and movement around the Empire. The most famous of these is Invitation to a Birthday Party, which is the first known handwritten letter by a woman in Britain ever found. It is from Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina, inviting her to the former’s birthday party on the 11th September, probably in 104AD. What is striking about this letter is it’s humanity opening ‘to my dearest sister, my dearest soul…’
There have been many other fabulous finds at Vindolanda; including the Gladiator Glass – an extremely fragile piece of glass from the edge of cup, decorated with scenes of fighting gladiators in incredible detail – amazing that something like that survived for nearly two thousands years. There have also been parts of pottery that show influences from across the empire, jewellery, hair combs, dice (including a pair where one of them was weighted – sneaky Roman!), and thousands of pairs of shoes, illustrating the sheer number and diversity of people who lived at the site; from children, women, tradesmen, and of course the soldiers. An exciting thing to remember is that everything that’s been found, is things that have been found so far. There is a huge amount of Vindolanda that has yet to be excavated (up to 70% of the site!), who knows what exciting things might still be buried?
Who knows what exciting things might still be buried?
In the 5th Century AD, Roman civilian life and the army occupation broke down in Britannia, leaving occupants scrabbling to make sense of what sort of life they would have following the departure. For many, who considered themselves Roman, it meant hastily packing up and hurrying after the soldiers who remained loyal to Rome, for others this meant clinging on. (Long story short, but there was rebellion within the ranks of the Roman army in Britain at the beginning of the 5th Century due to a lack of coinage (and therefore a lack of pay), so some soldiers rebelled. Therefore, there would have been some soldiers who stayed in Britannia, but were no longer loyal to Rome, and others who still obeyed the Empire and were dispatched to defend other parts of the Empire).
At Vindolanda there is evidence to suggest that some occupants left, and that others decided to try and stay. A hoard of some 270 silver coins was found under the tavern floor, which must have been buried before a move. However, as with almost every hoard buried outside of funerary arrangement, it also suggests that owners intended to come back. The collapse of the Western Roman Empire occurred in different places over various years, and at times was chaotic, but the impression must have been that it would bounce back, and return to the way it once was, otherwise the owners of the coins would surely have taken them with them. Clearly they were never able to return to dig the hoard back up.
‘Once its economic and polictical links with the Empire were severed, Britain went into free fall. The archaeological record, previously so abundant, becomes almost undetectably thin.’ – Marc Morris, Anglo Saxons, p. 28
Industries collapsed rapidly; where before there had been an abundance of pottery, iron nails, horseshoes etc. these disappear quickly, suggesting that once those items that had been left from Roman times broke, or were no longer usable, they were unable to be replaced. Less durable items in wood and leather would have been used instead, but these are lost to time.
Despite the exodus to Rome, many people chose to stay. It is probable that after many years, marriage, children, and possible multiple generations of occupation, those that remained felt more loyal to their home in Britannia, than to some nebulous centre of the Empire in Rome. There is evidence of continuing occupation at Vindolanda until in the 9th Century, although in increasingly smaller parts of the site, as large towns and villages broke down or were wiped out.
Vindolanda today is an expansive site of incredible archaeological ruins, an immersive museum and display, and knowledgeable tour guides. Well worth a visit, whatever the weather!
