The Vindolanda Tablets: Letters Home from the Roman Forces in Britain

https://www.thoughtco.com ^ | Updated March 25, 2019 | By K. Kris Hirst

[Avalon Memories]

Yep, the Romans were amazingly inventive and understood economics better than all of today’s idiot Left combined.

[Avalon Memories]

Great site! Thanks for the link to it. :)

[carcraft]

The Roman were advanced but their toilet plumbing left a little to be desired. The toilet was often located near the kitchen so getting rid of kitchen waste and bodily waste easier with less plumbing. Sewer gas wasn’t a factor considered so there were explosions in the kitchen relating to the ignition of sewer gas.

[Red Badger]

They didn’t know about gases and such at that time. It wasn’t until the 16-1700’s that gases were studied and their laws were institutionalized..............

http://thescienceclassroom.org/chemistry-lessons/gases/the-gas-laws/

[VicVanleeuwenhoek]

Found on one tablet, “ Janos Epsernum did not kill himself”.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red Badger. No ping, we've had a few topics about this.

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KEYWORDS: hadrianswall; ; vindolanda; vindolandaletters; vindolandatablets

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[hanamizu]

The Roman were advanced but their toilet plumbing left a little to be desired.

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Jesus Christ might well have had access to better toilet facilities than Abraham Lincoln.

[carcraft]

It is my understanding that Roman public toilets were terrible, bug infested, dirty messes.

[hanamizu]

It is my understanding that Roman public toilets were terrible, bug infested, dirty messes.

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So comparable to 21st-century toilets in urban bus stations?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Actually there were lots of books to read.

There was even a major "pulp fiction" industry. Most of it was written on papyrus that does not last very well outside of a dry climate so most of what we have left is what was transferred to parchment which was indeed expensive.

When Egypt was over run by mohammedans the cheap paper went away and books became dear.

School children did their work on folding wooden tables with a wax filler. After their teacher had approved they would smooth the wax and it would be ready for the next assignment.

[rxh4n1]

Maybe they used chalk on slate. Or with a stylus on clay.

[central_va]

2 wagon axles, 3.5 denarii;

That's an outrageous price for axles. Should have checked with Napa.

[central_va]

One was signed by Helen Thomas.

[SunkenCiv]

Vindolanda Roman fort sat just behind Hadrian's Wall, and was occupied from the late 1st century until well after the Roman Empire had faded away. It's a remarkable place with a long and remarkable history. It's also one of the best-excavated & best-understood Roman forts & towns anywhere. Using the Medieval Engineers software, and 85 years of archaeological reports, I have put together a reconstruction of the fort and town as it would have been about AD 235. Every building I placed in the town (and most in the fort itself) are known from actual archaeology.

Music from Maciej Kulesza - "Nothing's Left" on http://www.jamendo.com

And a big shout-out & thank-you to Steam users and Medieval Engineers modders Montmorency, Jugbot, and Yurand2000, whose terrain and block items really add to the realism of any build.

Hadrian's Wall - Vindolanda Walkthrough - using "Medieval Engineers" software | May 27, 2016 | STORI3D PAST Productions

[SunkenCiv]

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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.

Roman Vindolanda: An introduction 2021 | April 16, 2021 | VindolandaTrust

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This presentation comes from The Roman Finds Group 2020 Conference held in association with the University of Glasgow and Historic Environment Scotland.

Our 2020 Conference, originally scheduled for April, and then October was moved online. Sixteen illustrated papers were presented in blended content (some pre-recorded and some live) using the zoom platform on Friday 16th October and Saturday 17th October.

With particular thanks to Glasgow University LEADS (Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Service) who have provided the zoom facility.

The Roman Finds Group 2020 Conference - Barbara Birley - Recent finds from Vindolanda | December 22, 2020 | Roman Finds Group

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[SunkenCiv]

Vindolanda keywords, sorted, duplicates out:

• Ancient Carving Found in England May Represent Hybrid Roman Deity [07/10/2021]
• Roman dog with fur intact dug up at Vindolanda fort [09/02/2020]
• Hadrian's Wall dig reveals oldest Christian graffiti on chalice [08/29/2020]
• The graffiti left by the Romans working on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland [03/08/2020]
• Roman soldiers' very rude graffiti revealed near Hadrian's Wall [02/27/2019]
• Early Roman 'horseshoes' dug up from Vindolanda fort ditch [08/09/2018]
• Rare Roman ring found on Cumbrian beach [05/28/2018]
• Rare Roman boxing gloves found near Hadrian's Wall [03/13/2018]
• Vindolanda Roman Fort Yields Hundreds of Shoes [10/11/2016]
• Ancient footprint discovery leaves lasting impression at Vindolanda [07/01/2015]
• Hadrian's Wall dig unearths 2,000-year-old toilet seat [08/28/2014]
• Hope for further Vindolanda tablet discoveries [05/05/2014]
• Ancient graves hint at cultural shift to Anglo-Saxon Britain [02/17/2014]
• A tablet bearing a birthday party invite includes the earliest Latin script penned by a woman [09/10/2013]
• Archaeologists discover a hoard of silver Roman denarii coins at Vindolanda [07/22/2011]
• (June 21st, 2011) Roman camp that housed refugees fleeing Scottish unrest discovered near Hadrian's [06/21/2011]
• Vindolanda Tablets come home [09/29/2010]
• Hadrian's Wall child murder: estimated time of death pre-367AD [09/16/2010]
• Mysterious ancient altar found in Roman fort (In England) [07/25/2009]
• Roman era reveals expenses claims [06/08/2009]
• Hadrian's wall boosted economy for ancient Britons, archaeologists discover [11/24/2008]
• Romans Were Upper Crust On Daily Bread [05/21/2008]
• The Romans Carried Out Cataract Operations [02/09/2008]
• An Outing For Hadrian At The British Museum [01/10/2008]
• Roman Tombstone Found At Inveresk [10/29/2007]
• Hunting For Hadrian [01/25/2007]
• Spectacular Brooch Find May 'Unlock Secrets Of Hadrian's Wall' [05/20/2006]
• Literacy in the Time of Jesus - Could His Words Have Been Recorded in His Lifetime? [02/07/2006]
• Fragments of Ancient Empire [04/06/2005]
• Roman Souvenir Of (Hadrian's) Wall Found [09/30/2003]

[SunkenCiv]

These are letters written by Roman soldiers nearly 2,000 years ago. They were written on wooden tablets in ink made with charcoal and tree sap. When they were discovered, they the oldest handwritten texts ever found. All of them come from Vindolanda, a Roman fort right by Hadrian's Wall. They were preserved in anaerobic bog-like conditions, so what you're about to hear are real Roman soldiers from the 1st to 2nd century AD, nearly 2,000 years ago.

The Real Letters from Roman Soldiers | 5:24
TopRomanFacts | 1.68K subscribers | 116,252 views | February 29, 2024

Transcript
0:00	·	these are letters written by Roman
0:01	·	soldiers nearly 2,000 years ago they
0:04	·	were written on wooden tablets in ink
0:06	·	made from charcoal and tree sap when
0:08	·	they were discovered they were the
0:10	·	oldest handwritten texts ever found all
0:13	·	of them come from vindel Landa a Roman
0:15	·	Fort right by Hadrian's Wall they were
0:17	·	preserved in anerobic bog likee
0:19	·	conditions so what you're about to hear
0:22	·	are real Roman soldiers from the 1st to
0:24	·	2nd Century ad nearly 2,000 years ago
0:28	·	this letter was written by the soldiers
0:29	·	Niger and brochas to their fellow
0:31	·	Soldier and friend Niger and brochas to
0:34	·	their serialis greeting we pray brother
0:37	·	that what you are about to do will be
0:39	·	most successful it will be so indeed
0:42	·	since it is both in accord with our
0:43	·	wishes to make this prayer on your
0:45	·	behalf and you yourself are most worthy
0:48	·	you will assuredly meet our governor
0:50	·	quite soon we pray our Lord and brother
0:53	·	that you are in good health this tablet
0:56	·	was composed by the soldier crus to his
0:58	·	friend crus to vus his brother an old
1:01	·	messmate very many greetings and I ask
1:04	·	of you brother valus I am surprised that
1:06	·	you have written nothing back to me for
1:08	·	such a long time whether you have heard
1:10	·	anything from my elders in which unit he
1:13	·	is and greet him from me in my words and
1:15	·	verillas the veterinary doctor ask forus
1:18	·	whether you may send through one of our
1:20	·	friends the pair of shears which he
1:21	·	promised me in exchange for money and I
1:23	·	ask you brother villus to greet from me
1:26	·	our sister thua right back to us how
1:28	·	vbus is it is my wish that you enjoy the
1:31	·	best of Fortune farewell this one is sad
1:35	·	don't know the name of this poor soldier
1:37	·	who is beaten by his peers he beat me
1:40	·	all the more I implore your majesty not
1:42	·	to allow me an innocent man to have been
1:45	·	beaten with rods my Lord in as much as I
1:48	·	was unable to complain to the prefect
1:50	·	because he was detained by ill health I
1:53	·	have complained in vain to the benarus
1:56	·	and the rest of the centurions of his
1:57	·	unit accordingly I am implore your
2:00	·	mercifulness not to allow me a man from
2:03	·	overseas and an innocent one about whose
2:06	·	good faith you may inquire to have been
2:09	·	bloodied by rods as if I had committed
2:11	·	some
2:12	·	crime this is a short letter written to
2:15	·	a slave of the soldier very kundus it's
2:18	·	probably a shopping list giving us an
2:20	·	insight into what Roman soldiers like to
2:22	·	eat for context Modi e and sear e are
2:25	·	units of measure bruis beans to Modi
2:29	·	chickens 20 100 apples if you can find
2:32	·	nice ones 100 or 200 eggs if they are
2:35	·	for sale at a fair price eight sear of
2:38	·	fish sauce and a modius of Olives it's
2:42	·	not clear the status of the author of
2:44	·	this letter his name was mayor but he
2:46	·	could have been a soldier or a Freedman
2:49	·	mayor to his maritimus greeting I wanted
2:52	·	you to know that this letter has been
2:54	·	sent to me by my father in which he
2:56	·	writes to me that I should make known to
2:58	·	him what I shall have done done but if
3:00	·	you have conducted business in that
3:02	·	regard with the Imperial fredman see
3:04	·	that you write back to me with clear
3:06	·	information so that I can right back to
3:08	·	this effect to my father if you have
3:10	·	made any payment from time to time I
3:12	·	shall remove grain from store for you
3:14	·	without any delay in proportion to the
3:16	·	sum which may be raised when I was
3:18	·	writing this to you I was making the bed
3:19	·	warm I wish you may enjoy the best of
3:21	·	Fortune farewell if you intend to send a
3:24	·	boy to me send a note of hand with him
3:26	·	so that I may be the more
3:28	·	reassured
3:30	·	this letter talks about the incredible
3:32	·	amounts of goods that were traded to
3:33	·	enable the soldiers of Rome to Garrison
3:36	·	far-flung
3:37	·	fortifications Octavius to his brother
3:39	·	candidus greetings the1 of senu from
3:42	·	marinus I will settle up from the time
3:45	·	when you wrote to me about this matter
3:47	·	he has not even mentioned it to me I
3:48	·	have several times written to you that I
3:50	·	have brought about 5,000 mod of ears of
3:52	·	corn on account of which I need cash
3:55	·	unless you send me some cash at least
3:57	·	500 dinar the result shall be that I
3:59	·	shall lose what I have laid out as
4:01	·	deposit about 300 dinari and I shall be
4:04	·	embarrassed so I ask you send me some
4:06	·	cash as soon as possible the hides which
4:08	·	you write are at Cataract donian write
4:10	·	that they be given to me and the wagon
4:12	·	about which you write and write to me
4:14	·	what is with that wagon I would have
4:15	·	already been to collect them except that
4:17	·	I did not care to injure the animals
4:19	·	while the roads are bad see with Titus
4:21	·	about the 8 and a half dinari which he
4:23	·	received from Fatalis he has not
4:25	·	credited them to my account know that
4:27	·	I've completed the 170 hides and I have
4:30	·	119 Modi of thresh brackets make sure
4:33	·	that you send me cash so that I may have
4:35	·	ears of grain on the threshing floor
4:36	·	moreover I've already finished threshing
4:38	·	all that I had a messmate of our friend
4:41	·	fronius has been here he was wanting me
4:43	·	to allocate him hides that being so was
4:45	·	ready to give cash I told him I would
4:48	·	give him the hides by the 1st of March
4:50	·	he decided that he would come by the
4:52	·	13th of January he did not turn up nor
4:54	·	did he take any trouble to obtain them
4:56	·	since he had hid if he had given the
4:58	·	cash I would have given them I hear that
5:00	·	frontinus ulius has made sale at a high
5:03	·	price for the levare which he has
5:05	·	brought here for five dinar a piece
5:07	·	greet Spectators and ferus I have
5:10	·	received letters from glyco farewell
5:13	·	thank you for watching to the end I hope
5:15	·	you enjoyed the words of real Roman
5:17	·	soldiers nearly 2,000 years after they
5:20	·	wrote these letters to their comrades
5:22	·	colleagues and brothers