The Wooden Underground
Up to 30 feet below the ruins you see today
There is a lot of conjecture in this section about the Vindolanda Invisible Forts as most of the older forts are deep underground and covered by later forts. The early forts are where most of the tablets were found and therefore worthy of attention. This diagram helps us to understand this complex archaeological puzzle.
The site you see today was originally built on two hills, a valley or ravine running north /south between the ruins of the west wall of the fort and civil settlement. It was a very wet site with water flowing from the higher ground to the west and flowing west from the fort into two streams flowing north and south into two larger streams defending the site. The site was hilly not the gentle slopes you see today. As described below 6 forts, of various sizes, were built and levelled and in this process the valley disappeared. This became wetter and provided near perfect aerobic conditions ( oxygen free). t As a result artefacts from nearly two thousand can survive, in particularly wooden tablets, wooden implements, cloth, shoes and iron tools and armour.
VINDOLANDA’S INVISIBLE FORTS ARE THE REASON FOR THE SITE’S IMPORTANCE. IT IS WHERE THE VINDOLANDA ‘S TABLETS WERE FOUND AND ARE OFFICIALLY DEFINED AS A NATIONAL TREASURE.
Vindolanda Invisible Forts 0-VIB VII onwards part visible
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period 0
It has been thought for some time that a fort was built in this area in the 70s AD. The Team at Vindolanda were certain that it was not south of the Stanegate. At last, the fort may have been found, but as it cannot be dated, the fort would be under the Stanegate, therefore built before the road (circa 80AD), the first of Vindolanda’s Invisible forts.
The Trust intends when the schedule permits that a gate shall be excavated to obtain wooden material, which it may be possible to carbon date. At Carlisle, the wood was dated to AD72/3 by this method.
This fort would probably have been built by Governor Cerialis, during his conquest of Northern England, just before he retired as governor.
The turf fort was located northwest of the visible fort, with a corner under the car park near the entrance. It would have seen constructed of turf with a wooden parapet, with a wooden tower as can be seen in the replica southwest of the fort.
Vindolanda’s Invisible Forts Turf & Wood Forts I to IV
VINDOLANDA INVISIBLE FORTS PERIOD I TO IV WOULD HAVE LOOKED JUST THE SAME
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period 1
The fort is in a similar position and size to the visible fort today, which you can see the outline of underneath the diagram of the first fort, as with the other diagrams shown in this guide.
There has been little excavation and because it is up to 25ft below the current levels of the fort, and it would be necessary to destroy the visible ruins. There are defensive ditches in front of the West Wall, and the site would be on a slope, not the level site you see today.
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It was built about 85 AD, five years after the Stanegate was built.
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period 11
The existing fort was demolished; it was levelled and surfaced with clay before the new fort was mainly built over it, extended to the west resulting in a fort twice the size. It remains 7 to 17ft below the current surface. Beams were used to cover the holes not always successfully. It appears to have been built in a hurry using green timber.
It is possible that it was originally built for the Tungrians, when all the detachments return to the fort, and it had to be increased quickly. The remains of what appeared to be barrack blocks have been found. A building presumed to be the commander’s house has been found. It is where some of the earlier tablets were found.
The Batavians, who occupied the fort for most of this period, came from modern Holland and came from near the mouth of the Rhine.
The fort was a turf rampart with a wooden palisade
In a ditch filled with rubbish, one of the most important finds was found; it was a tablet, detailing the strength of the Tungrians cohort and where it was located.
These were probably weekly or monthly reports submitted possibly to the Legate at York.
This list is the only one of its kind found in Britain. It confirms that it was a large cohort; it appears to have only 6 centurions (instead of the ten, which you would expect). It also tells us that it must have been a quiet time on the Wall with limited threats with only 39% of the cohort on site. Probably dates from about 92 AD before the Tungrians moved out.
Vindolanda Invisible Fort PERIOD 111
This fort was rebuilt of the Period 11 fort with better materials. Again it had a turf and wood construction more sturdily built. There was a deep ditch in front of the walls.
It is between 7 and 13ft below the current surface. The Prefect’s house is the most thoroughly excavated building at Vindolanda. The west wing is over 150ft long with 12 rooms.
The website lists 347 tablets, most from this house. Many can be seen on this website. In addition, there were many artefacts all well preserved in almost oxygen-free conditions
The Batavians received orders in 105AD to vacate the fort and join the Trojan’s Army in Dacia (modern Romania) and everything was left. Most of the tablets were recovered from a large bonfire burning documents, which were swiftly put out by a sudden cloud burst.
These tablets have made Cerialis, the cohort commander one of the most famous individuals from the Wall’s history
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period 1V
This with the Period V fort is the largest on this site. It appears to have been left vacant for some months after the Batavian’s sudden departure. The previous fort was demolished and resurfaced with clay providing a sealed environment to preserve the artefacts underneath. This increased the level of the floor by over 2.5 ft The fort was probably finished in 106AD. It is likely that the garrison was supported by cavalry and a detachment of the legion.
In the far west of the site, a large wooden building has been found near the Vindolanda car park. Its purpose is unknown but suggests a legionary presence.
There are suggestions that the frontier was subject to incursions in this period beginning in 110AD and ending in a victory metal being issued in 118AD. There are indications that a centurion has been killed at war from part of a tombstone found under the 4th century bathhouse. There is no further information.
One of the best finds from this period is a tablet to Candidus found in a centurion‘s quarters:
“Octavius to his brother Candidus, greetings. The hundred pounds of sinew from Marinus – I will settle up. From the time when you wrote about this matter, he has not even mentioned it to me. I have several times written to you that I have bought about five thousand modii of ears of grain, on account of which I need cash. Unless you send me some cash, at least five hundred denarii, the result will be that I shall lose what I have laid out as a deposit, about three hundred denarii, and I shall be embarrassed. So, I ask you, send me some cash as soon as possible. The hides which you write are at Cataractonium – write that they be given to me and the wagon about which you write. And write to me what is with that wagon. I would have already been to collect them except that I did not care to injure the animals while the roads are bad. See with Tertius about the 8½ denarii which he received from Fatalis. He has not credited them to my account. Know that I have completed the 170 hides and I have 119 modiiof threshed bracis. Make sure that you send me cash so that I may have ears of grain on the threshing-floor. Moreover, I have already finished threshing all that I had. A messmate of our friend Frontius has been here. He was wanting me to allocate (?) him hides and that being so, was ready to give cash. I told him I would give him the hides by 1 March. He decided that he would come on 13 January. He did not turn up nor did he take any trouble to obtain them since he had hides. If he had given the cash, I would have given him them. I hear that Frontinius Iulius has for sale at a high price the leather ware (?) which he bought here for five denariiapiece. Greet Spectatus and … and Firmus. I have received letters from Gleuco. Farewell. (Back) (Deliver) at Vindolanda.”
The road in question is Dere Street and those of you, who have travelled the A68 in winter, will know that it was probably the weather rather than the road itself.
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period V
Vindolanda was situated almost at the mid-point of the Wall about a mile south of the Wall between Housesteads and Great Chesters. Therefore, it had to be the construction camp for the building of Hadrian’s Wall in the central sector.
For this reason, Periods 1V and V are particularly difficult to define. Period V was the evaluation into this construction camp, and it is likely that parts were added and knocked down during this period and only started to resemble a normal fort in the late 130’s as the Wall was finished, and only the Vallum was dug,
A very large wooden building 50 yards square was built next to the west wall of the visible fort. It was more a palace than a house. The most likely explanation is that it was built for Emperor Hadrian and his court (which could amount to thousands) during his visit in 122AD.
Vindolanda would certainly be the best place from where the central section of the frontier could be surveyed.
West from the “palace” was a large storage area including a large number of bread ovens. In the west was a large industrial area.
During the building of the Wall, there had to be a large contingent of legionaries along with their construction specialists. You can imagine a team just mending the wagons carting materials to the Wall and the site probably expanded outside the fort.
Whether the fort was abandoned after the Wall was built is not known, the Stanegate forts had generally been abandoned once the Wall Forts were completed.
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period V1
This was built at a time when Hadrian’s Wall had been abandoned, following the 2nd Scottish invasion and the establishment of the Antonine Wall 100 miles north crossing the Clyde/ Firth of Forth corridor.
Again the old fort was flattened and the site levelled and sealed with clay. The new fort was located and sized in a similar location to Period 1 and the visible fort. Initially seemed to be of turf and wood walls, but stone walls may have been added later, it was changed later in the period. Its location on the Stanegate and mining activities may have been the reasons it was rebuilt.
Vindolanda Invisible Fort Period V1
This is the period when the Antonines Wall was abandoned and the withdrawal from Scotland started. This was followed, within a few years by probably the most serious incursion until the 4th century.
Forts at Halton Chesters, Rudchester and Corbridge were destroyed and a Roman general was killed.
The stone wall was built about this time on roughly the location as the previous fort and a new headquarters building was built to the highest standard, indicating legionary craftsmen. It was likely used in the suppression of the revolt
In 208AD the strangest fort in the Hadrian’s Wall complex was built. The existing fort was again raised to the ground and this small fort was built where the Vicus can see today, with roundhouses covering the space where the last fort stood.
More details are shown in the Vindolanda Guide. Click and see.
In that guide, you will also see the remains of its commander’s house in the middle of the Vicus.
Vindolanda Partly Visiably Forts Periods V11, V111 & 1X
The above unusual fort was flattened, the round houses were demolished and the fort walls you see today were built.
This is the period of the visible fort which is covered in the Vindolanda Guide this is what is visible from about 213AD (Period V11). Around 270AD saw the abandonment of all buildings outside the fort but for the 3rd century bathhouse (Period V111) and the creation of “vicus” in the fort.
It is possible that the size of the garrison reduced in the 3rd century as the Wall became less significant. With less revenue from the garrison, many of the services it provided to the garrison were less viable and traders moved elsewhere.
One of the significant changes was the barracks, which changed to chalet-style cabins suitable for a soldier and family against two small rooms for 8 soldiers they replaced. The change required considerably more floor area and therefore housed fewer soldiers.
In the fourth century, it developed into the village as the ruins are presented today. What you see when you visit the site is a well-preserved early 3rd century fort, but nothing extraordinary, but underneath are Vindolanda’s Invisible Forts, with the tablets and all kinds of things, which would have perished anywhere else at least 1000 years ago.
This resulted in 7000 plus shoes. all kinds of wooden products including the recent toilet seat.
This is all described by Andrew Birley, (CEO of Vindolanda Trust) here:
