Roman Vindolanda: An Introduction

Dr Andrew Birley, CEO of the Vindolanda Trust gives a brief overview of the outstanding site of Roman Vindolanda fort and town and tells us what the ancient remains can tell us about some of the people who lived here 2,000 years ago.

[@ewittkofs]

This is one of the greatest treasures of Roman antiquity, your dedication and hard work is phenomenal. Well done!

[@robertmiller5258]

This is completely fascinating. I had the privilege of once meeting Professor Robin Birley - a remarkable man!

[@colvinator1611]

Thanks a lot for this vital piece of history. It's about 10 years since I last visited Vindolanda so I hope to return soon.

[@billcole484]

Dr. Birley, your enthusiasm about Vindolanda is contagious! I used to teach Latin and I would have loved to have shown this video to my students. They would all have majored in archeology in college.You make life almost 2000 years ago come alive. Gratias ago. Te saluto.

[@billypower3349]

In 1972/3 I was 14 years old. I was absolutely fascinated with Vindolanda and became a member of ‘Young Rescue’ the offshoot of ‘Rescue’ an archaeological society. We used to receive regular news letters etc covering the finds of the moment. I hitched lifts to get there after leaving home unbeknown to my Grandparents (who raised me). I have absolutely no idea how I did it, but I managed to get as far as Carlisle in three days, where I was apprehended by the police and shipped back to London.......I have had a continuous passion for Romano British archaeology, have walked hadrians wall three times, and yet have never managed to get to Vindolanda, despite promising myself year on year....... .....maybe this year? Or next?....

[@gregtariloff3626]

It's been calling to you, you must go!

[@sforza209]

Have you gone yet? I have the same urge but would be hitching from Pacific Northwest America!

[@paulbulgerin6259]

I was a volunteer at Vindolanda in July 2010. Thank you for this wonderful update video.

[@sdev8317]

visiting Vindolanda was one of the best times i have ever had !

[@Lilmonkmonk]

Brilliant! Great work, so interesting, love that.

[@davidevans3227]

i love imagining people coming from maybe the mediterranean or even further (and warmer) ..such as north africa.. This place is so cold, wet and dark that even the sun doesn't want to shine! Wonderful video, have not visited this place, but i must.. thankyou for sharing this 🙂 x

[@genoallmond9936]

Really loved the little video of you pulling out the sword from the ground. There's not much "on the ground" shots of archaeology on youtube and would love to see more of it.

[@colindonington6568]

Went there yesterday 11/5/24 Enjoyed it but missed the last guided tour. So pleased I could watch this.

[@jf330]

Truly exceptional site and on my bucket list. What a dream it must be to work at Vindolanda.

[@helencharlienellist2281]

I do, and it is. I'm filled with a sense of pride everyday and I love to greet the visitors as they come in and leave. I've been so inspired by the place that I've trained up as a volunteer guide. It really is amazing 😊

[@helencharlienellist2281]

The great thing about the place is that it's always evolving and revealing new secrets to us. When you arrive, you are guaranteed to have an informative and profound time as you rub shoulders with people from the past through their written words and see that humanity doesn't really change, just the technology 😊

[@sforza209]

@@helencharlienellist2281my bucket list item is to do the 2 week volunteer work there! I cannot imagine how exciting that would be!

[@mushymagazineonlocation7328]

Fabulous archeology. Keep digging good luck.

[@paolorossi9180]

Salve! I like your video.Greetings from Rome.

[@johnneville403]

Excellent video. I've been to Hadrian's Wall many times over the years, but would love to go to Vindolanda in the not too distant future. It looks like you're doing great work.

[@carolmarr6607]

How fortunate that so much dedicated archaeological work has gone on to allow us to understand the past and Roman Britain.

[@stevesnailfish]

Visited the site and museum last Thursday....absolutely stunning

[@deanedge5988]

Everyone should try and walk at least some of the wall and a visit to Vindolanda is the primus inter pares of what is a most evocative and enormous relic of the Empire and its people; preserved and researched with real love and scholarship.

[@MsSteelphoenix]

Wow, amazing finds... The boxing glove is so unique!

[@scottfoster3548]

Yes as you walk on the Roman roads which are amazing through the fort and the curtilage and your expert descriptions of what is happening at that section of the fort, brilliant. There are views (or I can conjure anyways) of Romans and others walking where you are, such as 22:18 and looking up whilst heading for the steam rooms and thinking this can never end, huh.

[@rentoz]

I have just stumbled upon this. I cannot wait for the new excavation to be complete. I might even pay a visit before then. How incredible.

[@simonjames3417]

Awesome, Dr B :-D

[@havingalook2]

Very, very interesting and so well presented - thank you. Cheers

[@pirangeloferretti3588]

Amazing!

[@secularsunshine9036]

*Happiness Is; Bathing in the Light.* "Let the Sunshine In." In the scene at the end of the video in the back-ground there seems to be much rutting leading up the hill and away from the fort. Also there is some kind of long structure like a wall, or is that a Roman road? I'm interested that too.

[@normanreid29]

Very informative. I must get a book

[@timadams60440]

Very nicely done!

[@VindolandaTrust]

Thank you very much!

[@judithhope8970]

Great place, well worth a visit.

[@tomjones7593]

Fascinating-until recently I had the right to fish from a boat on Crag Loch immediately under the Wall; even there-at the top of a 300-foot high cliff across a deep cold loch the Romans built their wall. Crazy. In the museum I found the women's shoes the most amazing- piercings and fashions not out-of-place these days in one of the most god-forsaken bleak places in the 'UK'. Good luck with the excavations !

[@ThePandionknight]

My grammar ocd kicked in when I read ‘gameing board’. A Great video though.

[@peterlaustra2892]

Did any cruxifictions ever take place?

[@Superenzocastellan]

Interesting site, and still alot of hard work to do overthere.

[@willempasterkamp862]

Vinoterre, not the grapes but the blue berries ? or whisky ?

[@jpavlvs]

Where are the graves? What is the DNA of any remains found?

[@peterlaustra2892]

Interesting question... I think I recall hearing that throughout the Roman empire there are only a few ancient Roman graves; most of them where cremated.

[@GildaLee27]

5:36 Barbaricum, "Barbarians' land'?

[@davidevans3227]

..at approx 21.20 minutes in, he says seven or eight centuries of occupation.. is that people living there through the "dark ages" ??

[@dagmarsuarez3033]

Teasing a thirsty man with a freshly poured pint....held just out of reach.

[@faydulaksono]

why many roman army weapon left buried in this fort? is this buried on purpose?

[@soultraveller5027]

If the Americans had something like this lol they would turn it into Disneyland park American tourist would be munching On a McDonald's or KFC for as they walk around they don't have any historical lineage (200 odd years) or structures that go back milliienniun after millennium built by ancient man because they have no history other the British. Or the indigenous Indians they wiped out and removed off there. Ancestral lands not there fault tis what it is The running joke at the time was a group of American tourist was visiting Stonehenge. While they were walking around they asked why are theses stones laying around should they be up in place one of the tourist then walked to the visitor center and complained that the big stones had fallen down and suggested the stones should be placed back in position what kinda place is this for tourist to which the guild at the center replied. Well. Sir it's a prehistoric Ruin a monument 5.000 years old sir

[@PortmanRd]

Maybe you could turn Trumps Wall into a theme park?😏🤭

[@zapfan7029]

You found Excalibur ;-)

[@robertmiller5258]

Surely ‘Gameing’ should be spelt ‘Gaming’ and the usual English word for ‘horse gear’ is ‘tackle’.

[@robertmiller5258]

Also ‘tack’ or even better ‘harness’ ?

[@giakon1]

land of Windish

[@larsdelheye849]

yuuu gasten

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[@peterdonaldhume]

just a helpful tip. stop waving your arms around on your next video - it's an awful technique and distracts so much from what you are saying that many people will switch off out of frustration.

[@peterwilliams3591]

How petty can you get .....

[@Lousysalsero]

What Dr. Birley is saying is so very interesting that I hadn't even noticed. Now, there you are...

[@StreetsOfRage2]

Oh shut up Peter for god sake, how ridiculous.

[@CaelJones]

Can you please explain how you intend to get the deeper layers excavated without destroying the top layers?

[@dutro76]

With the triangle analysis method I developed, the answer can be derived as soon as it is analyzed. Specify 3 locations. Vindolanda, 54 59 26.06 N, 2 21 38.05 W, Vatican, 41 54 8.00 N, 12 27 26.13 E, One hundredth of the Sun diameter distance Point ,from Machupicchu sun stone, 7 10 29.10 S, 56 6 56.45 E, The mutual distances of those three points are 8743km, 1814km, 115km, and the sum of the three is 10672km. Mars diameter is 6794km, Mars circumference is about 21345km. It is calculated as π=3 14159. 10672km≒21345km×0.49999, The total distance of the three sides is the half-perimeter of Mars. The extremely high accuracy is important evidence that the Anunnaki descended on earth 200,000 years ago and constructed and arranged ancient ruins with modules based on the size of the solar system bodies. Since it has not been moved since it was installed, good results can be obtained by measuring carefully. I have already completed the analysis of more than 90,000 demonstration cases. This is one example. I will explain the reason for each length. 8743km≒8501km; Triton circumference ×1.028, 1814km≒3636km × 0 499, Io diameter ×0.5, 115km ≒ Io circumference × 1.0067, PS; The hypothetical sun spot is a vestige track that the Anunnaki diligently collected the gold-laden mud deposited on the ocean floor. It is 12km wide and remains for 20000km continuously. In addition, it is characterized by a small detour to the west only here. It's a sacred point of importance and a base that I cherish!　There are several other locations.