Vindolandia

Sibelius' lesser known tone poem.
Not really, just my strange sense of humour.
Vindolanda, a Roman Fort that is a mile or so from Hadrian's Wall is a site well worth visiting. This was my third (I think) excursion there, the first being in the mid seventies and the second about twenty years ago. I was struck by just how much more of the archaeology has been uncovered. The finds are presented in a fantastic on-site museum and guided tours are hugely informative and entertaining.
The photo shows the third stone incarnation which itself overlies six previous wooden forts, the first being constructed in about 85 AD. Excitingly, they were busy uncovering one of the wooden forts as I was there. The remains were well below the foundations of the building in which they were digging.
The soil here is compact and devoid of oxygen so it has preserved organic material that otherwise would have rotted away. The museum is full of leather shoes, wooden clogs, keys and locks, wigs, combs etc.etc... Most famous though are the Vindolanda Tablets, wooden writing tablets much like postcards with ink-written messages including an invitation to a birthday party, requests for socks and beer and more official reports and admin.
It really brings people to life from almost 1,900 years ago.