Archaeologists find shoe, finger ring and whorl in "extremely dirty" conditions at Roman fort
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
Dirty, wet but rewarding work allows archaeologists to find "remarkable" Roman artefacts south of Hadrian's Wall
The hare and the dog carving found at Roman Vindolanda© Vindolanda TrustA finger ring with a jet stone, knives, dozens of pot lids and a bone spindle whorl described as “rather lovely” have been found at Vindolanda, the Hadrian’s Wall fort where archaeologists
discovered a carving to the Roman goddess of the hunt during their first excavations of the year.
Excavating the via decumana© Vindolanda TrustTwo “smashing” teams have kept their spirits high under unpredictable skies in Northumberland, focusing on uncovering the west side of a road laid in 213.
Excavation of the tank and temple area© Vindolanda Trust“The structures surrounding the road have started to become more clearly defined,” says Andrew Birley, the Director of Excavations. “The experience of walking down a road rather than in field of rubble has changed this area completely.
The vicus excavations© Vindolanda Trust“Work has continued to take place linking the top of the street to the back of the headquarters building.
The via praetoria excavations© Vindolanda Trust“In a few months visitors to the site will be able to experience for themselves what it feels like to walk along the back of the Headquarters building, straight onto the last Roman street level. This is a walk no-one has been able to take for almost 1,600 years.”
The water tank© Vindolanda TrustBashed 4th century pottery has also been found at a site where 19 writing tablets were found last year. The diggers have occasionally had to hold their noses.
© Vindolanda Trust“The weeds have been cleared out and work continues here down into the pre-Hadrianic forts,” says Birley.
“It is extremely dirty and wet work but it has its rewards. Some of last year’s trenches, which are now completed, will be immediately backfilled.
A very small knife blade dropped on to surface of the via decumana© Vindolanda Trust“The barracks, possible headquarters building, workshops and, fingers crossed,
toilet, will reveal themselves.
“The team has assembled to pump out the thousands of gallons of water that filled the trenches during the winter.”
The first shoe found at the site during the 2015 excavations© Vindolanda TrustBirley believes that more tablets will emerge, as well as further “remarkable” artefacts preserved by the oxygen-free, organic conditions. Hundreds of shoes are expected to have been found by the end of the summer.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.More from Culture24's Archaeology section:Roman Empire: Power and People: five star objects from the British Museum exhibitionBone fragments and burial goods of "wealthy and cosmopolitan" Roman found in North Hertfordshire villageSkeleton of high-status girl was one of dozens of burials at Hampshire Saxon cemetery, say archaeologists
Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art527023-archaeologists-find-shoe-finger-ring-and-whorl-in-extremely-dirty-conditions-at-roman-fort
