136 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
metalprotrudingfromtheearth.Herheart
ratequickened.“Iwasshaking,”sherecalls.
“I finishedtransportingtheearththatI’djust
dug,tryingnottobecomeoverwhelmedby
excitement.I strongly sensed it was the tip
ofa sword.”
Itwasindeeda sword,witha remarkably
completeblade.Bakerwasinvitedtocon-
tinuetheexcavationundervideo-recorded
close supervision. Sword finds are rare
becausetheyweresousefulandvaluableto
originalowners.Whyhadit beenlefthere?
One theory is that the barracks were
abandonedina hurry.Yet,especiallyincir-
cumstancesofdanger,whyhadn’ttheowner
taken the sword with him?Three orfour
metresaway,twotoyswordswereuncov-
ered, suggesting a family lived here. Was
the ownerof the swordrequired tocarry
hischildrenduringtheevacuation?“History
verymuch comes alive around you,” says
Baker. “It’s exhilarating.”
FASCINATINGHAUL
Baker’s find formed part of an astonish-
inghaul thatsummer of2017, which also
includedwritingtablets(foundata rateof 25
dailyduringonephaseofthedig),bathclogs
andleathershoes(formen,womenandchil-
dren),styluspens,knives,hairpins,brooches
plusa widevarietyofweaponssuchascav-
alry lances, arrowheads and ballistabolts
leftlyingonfloors– allsupportingthethe-
orythatthebarrackshadbeenabandoned
quickly.Thecompletenessofthepictureleft
behindresemblesa non-volcanicPompeii.
Alsoremainingwerecopper-alloyfitments
forsaddles, junctionstraps and harnesses
almostentirelyfreeofcorrosionthatshine
todaylikegold.Theyareondisplayinthe
museumhere– along with the sword that
Bakerfound.
“I still get goosebumps thinking about
it,”saysBaker.“Somestressfulthingshave
happened inmylifesince,includinga car
accident,andintryingtimesI thinkbackto
thatdayatVindolanda.It wassounexpected
- oneofthegreatexperiencesofmylifeand
additionallyspecial for being shared with
mydaughter.”
Vindolandais stillmanagedbytheBirley
family; third-generation Andrew Birley
nowdirectsthedigs.Since 1970 it hasbeen
a charitable trust. While it receives some
lottery funding,it ismostlydependent on
visitorincome.Thankfully,100,000people
visit Vindolanda each year and the sister
Roman Army Museum gets an extra 60,000.
It’s a seven-mile drive from Vindo-
landatotheRomanArmyMuseumviathe
arrow-straightmilitaryroadrunningbeside
Hadrian’s Wall. This is an ideal place to
begina visit tothe region.Youcanwatch
a 20-minute, 3D film involving profes-
sionalactorsandaneagle’s-eyeviewofkey
locations along the monumental barrier
runningbetweentheeastandwestcoasts.
Thefilm createsanimmersive experience
of the danger, adventure and intrigue of
lifehere nearlytwomillennia ago. Italso
orientatesvisitorsregardingotherkeylocal
sites, including Corbridge Roman Town and
HousesteadsRomanFortmanagedbyEng-
lishHeritage,nottoforgetthevariouswalks
andrambles that take in remnants of the
wallitself.
Yetonlyonesiteallowsyoutoexcavate
the Roman remains around the UNESCO
WorldHeritage SitethatisHadrian’sWall.
In2020,excavationswillbeginona round-
housecommunitydatingtothethird-century
Severanperiod.Builtinback-to-backrows,
these roundhouses are considered to be
amongstthemostenigmaticfeaturesofthe
frontiersystemandunique(toour knowl-
edge)throughouttheEmpire.
One thing is for certain: there will be
plenty more discoveries. The Vindolanda
Trustexpectstobediggingforanother 150
years,guaranteeingthatfuturegenerations
canfullyexperience this enthralling, atmos-
phericlocation.
Formoreinformation,visittheVindolanda
Trustatwww.vindolanda.com.TheRoman
ArmyMuseum,Greenhead,BramptonCA8
7JB,tel: 01697 747485.RomanVindolanda,
BardonMill,Hexham,Northumberland
NE47 7JN, tel: 01434 344277.
The completeness left behind
resembles a non-volcanic Pompeii
Above:theexcavationcontinuesatVindolanda;
volunteerscanapplybutspacesarehighlysought
a f t e r.Left:the signpost at the Roman Fort and Museum
