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The Roman Empire - Episode 7 - Letters From The Roman Front (History Documentary)
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Jun 4, 2025
In the Scottish Highlands of 84 AD, the impressive, armour-clad armies of Imperial Rome lay waste to thousands of Caledonian warriors of Northern Britain. Back at the Roman camp, drunken soldiers celebrate victory. Others write home to relatives with ink on wooden shavings, which are transported via an elaborate delivery system on horseback, much like the pioneer-era 'Pony Express' in the United States. These "letters" document greetings, loneliness, and even requests for mundane goods that soldiers needed sent to them from home such as socks and underwear. This is the amazing story of one of the most remarkable archaeological finds of the Roman Empire. While excavating the site of an Ancient Roman battleground a team of archaeologists astonishingly discover letters from the past. Preserved Roman letters that offer an incredible insight into the strongest empire the world had ever known.
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0:00
The Roman army invades the British Isles
0:08
Those who resist the empire face total annihilation. Romans had to go on slaughtering every living thing, including dogs
0:17
until the commander said stop. In the highlands of Scotland
0:26
General Julius Agricola pursues a coalition of tribal warriors. He can hardly wait to tear the enemy to shreds
0:36
Often on the march, when mountains and rivers were wearing out your strength
0:41
did I hear our bravest middic claim, when shall we have the enemy before us
0:50
Agricola gets his answer, sooner than he thinks. It comes from the native peoples of the British Isles, known as the Britons
1:02
At a site called Mons Gropius, they confront an empire that seeks to enslave them
1:12
The Romans are outnumbered. Each soldier will have to kill three Britons to survive, but that's okay with the rank and file
1:22
Death is their business, and today, business is good. From Scotland to North Africa, Roman military strategy shared something in common with the
2:03
20th century blitzkrieg. Showing mercy to the enemy was low on the wish list of generals like Agricola
2:11
But what about the Roman soldiers? Were they men or monsters? A band of brothers
2:16
Or little more than well-trained stormtroopers? Archaeologists dig for the truth. truth at a site called Vindolanda
2:29
Among them, Andrew Burley. Here in northern England, he probes a jumble of stone and bog
2:37
for insights into Roman conquest. The best things at working at Vindolanda on this site
2:44
is the fact that it's very physically and mentally demanding, very challenging
2:48
On the other hand, Vindolanda is the sort of site which always gives you a reward and always
2:53
you a surprise. Over decades of occupation, several garrisons were constructed here
3:04
one built on top of the other. Between the slices of this Roman sandwich lies an archaeological banquet
3:17
Aqueducts feed water to an honest-to-goodness Roman bath. There's the fort's slaughterhouse, complete with a runoff gutter for blood
3:32
Sprinkled generously through the strata of muck is an astonishing array of artifacts
3:39
Jewelry that shines like new. And coins in mint condition. The word Vindolanda means shimmering lawn, a deceptive name for a desolate outpost at
3:58
the edge of the known world. In the first century AD, the mighty Roman Empire stretches from the Middle East to the British Isles
4:19
But here, in the rugged Scottish hills of Mons Gromis, the Roman advance hits the wall
4:27
Eleven tribes of Britain warriors take the high ground. Skilled at making bronze into weapons, the Britons wear blue war paint extracted from wildfire
4:47
Their leader, Calgacus, pegs Rome's intentions for what they are. We, the last free men, have been shielded till today by the very remoteness for which
4:57
we are famed. But today the boundary of Britain is exposed. Beyond lies nothing but waves and rocks and the Romans
5:07
Where they make a desert, they call it peace. Outnumbered or not, Roman General Agricola
5:18
has Calgacus' warriors exactly where he wants them. He is here now, driven from his lyre
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and your wishes and valor have free scope. Everything favors the Conqueror
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To save their skin, Roman soldiers now rely on a strict sequence of precision tactics
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Maneuvers that pay off when Britain marksmen launch a barrage of javelins. No problem
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The Romans create a defensive shell called the tortoise. The Britons have no such animal. Big problem
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They were up against a highly disciplined army luring the enemy on
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This was the Roman army's great success, winning battles out in the open
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In spite of bigger swords and superior numbers, the closer the Britons get to the Romans
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the further from victory the Britons fall. 10 tribesmen are slaughtered
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Those who survive lay waste to their own villages, according to this account
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An awful silence reigned. The hills were deserted. Houses were smoking in the distance
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and our scouts did not meet a soul. The Britons despise and fear Agricola's legions
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more than death itself. Retreating warriors set fire to their own homes
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Wives and children are killed to keep them out of Roman hands. But who are these men they fear
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The heartless agents of empire? Imperial robots invincible in battle? For one thing, they are not immune to the ravages of war
8:42
While the Romans take only 360 casualties, many are more dead than alive
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Fresh recruits are shipped to the front to replace Roman casualties. One of these soldiers, ancient records show, was named Messicus
9:08
He could have been as young as 18 and most likely was unmarried
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For soldiers like Messicus, the only refuge lies within garrisons, like Vindolanda
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just one of a series of forts along Rome's last frontier. Awaiting him inside were creature comfort, dry beds and barracks, to name a few
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But was there a sense of family among this band of brothers? For Andrew Burley, family has everything to do with Vindolanda
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Starting in the 1930s, Burley family members have excavated the site season after season
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The Burley clan is supported by a dedicated staff, volunteers, and visiting experts
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Conditions here require a lot of work. Conditions here require a redefinition of the term dirt archaeology
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Dirt is for wimps. Vindolanda has Frankenstein dirt, and it's always sopping wet
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The British climate can be a real killer. This year in particular is one of the wettest years on record
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you can turn up to work in the morning and face a swimming pool more often than not a
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drift in a sea of Roman mud the spirits of the crew are kept afloat by the promise of new discoveries
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Andrew's dad Robin Burley roots through knee-deep muck for a whiff of Roman life
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You can actually smell the Romans. Ah, beautiful. It's a combination of, I don't know, old socks and body odors and things
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And our excavators, when they come onto the site, they can normally smell this smell at 100 yards away
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and they know where we're operating. Wonderful smell. We love it. The handle from a flagon is a clue that alcohol was available
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alcohol was available, a substance that served a number of tasks. For Messicus, a big gulp of spirits helps deaden the hardships of the front lines
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For others, it helps numb the pain of mangled limbs. Evidence suggests opium was mixed with alcohol to create an anesthetic cocktail
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A brew is potentially lethal for the patient as the surgical procedure that followed
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Among Burleigh's most compelling finds are medical tweezers, a silver probe to open wounds
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this bronze blade, the instrument of last resort. It was the dread of every fighting man of the empire
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For somebody with serious wounds, what capacity they would have for surgery, effective surgery
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I rather doubt. I mean, in the case of amputation, I'm sure. and the lives of men feed the insatiable fires of Roman ambition
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This cruel reality was not lost on the average soldier. Messicus and his brothers were replaceable parts
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of the Roman war machine. Piece by bloody piece, its inner workings
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and broken cogs surface at Vindolanda. The common foot soldier is the foundation of the Roman army, and what he wore on his
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feet is the most common find at Bindola. Ah, that's a nice one, Andrew
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That's a nice one. It's the posh officer's sandal. You know, that's expensive in any language
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cutting all that very careful open work there. All the money is in the uppers
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We always say that Vinland has got everything that Pompeii and Herculaneum haven't got
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I think Pompeii has got three or four bits and pieces of Roman shoes, but we've got over 3,000 of them
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Some 500,000 artifacts serve as archaeological pixels. Composited together they form dim snapshots from the private lives of men like Messages An iron awl used to tighten the leather straps of his armor A sewing kit to mend his tunic
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A comb to part his hair. And this iron knife, its maker's name proudly stamped into the blade
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All found in Vindolanda's gnarly nooks and crannies. What sort of thing are you hoping to find in this one
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I'd love to find some late 4th century material for this one. Once you go down there, you're not coming back out again
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Just how these treasures were found is the stuff of family folklore
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My wife was writing a thesis on Roman spoons, and blame me, she finds the best spoon here
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I mean, cynics would say she planted it herself. Some people say I've got a golden touch
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but really, you know, it's a question of how much work you do. Andrew Burley sees a kind of archaeological voodoo at work
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The site will only seem to reward one member of the family at a time. So if all four of us are working on the site at the same time, we won't find anything
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As soon as three of us go somewhere else and leave one alone
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then that person will make a sensational find. But that's just the way it goes
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And that's just how it went for Andrew's dad one sensational day
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A find that literally spoke volumes on life at Vindolanda. a discovery that turned Roman archaeology on its head
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If I have to spend the rest of my life working in dirty waterlogged trenches
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I will never again experience the thrill that I experienced that memorable day
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Freed from the clammy grip of the bog, came messages from banished men
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I noticed some rather slimy bits of wood, very thin sheets of wood, rather slimy
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I thought, well, that's odd for carpenter's shavings, and just quietly peeled them apart
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I couldn't believe my eyes. Hidden beneath a cover of mud were written words
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lost to the world for 2,000 years. Messicus and his brothers had broken ranks with the past
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and delivered to archaeologists messages from a lost world. The priceless Roman letters discovered by the Burleys
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were rushed to an expert in ancient inscriptions some 40 miles away
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But the journey to the past had ended before it began. When the shavings were unpacked, the words had vanished
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All the writing had gone. It was just absolutely blank. It was an archaeologist's worst nightmare
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But the Burleys didn't give up. A closer examination of the shavings
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revealed microscopic traces of carbon-based ink, a substance the Burleys could see through infrared photography
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Ancient histories of the Roman invasion of Britain mention only a few generals and governors
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Now, written in their own hand, came the names and origins of some 600 Romans at Vindolanda
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virtually everybody as far as we can tell in that early period up here are literate
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we know there was a doctor here called marcus And opium is one of many substances which we have got mention on a writing tablet
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Even the soldier Messicus is heard from. I, Messicus, ask my lord that you consider me a worthy person to whom to grant leave
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at Coria. Writing on a thin wooden shaving with a metal stylus, Messicus begs his commanding officer
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for a breather. The odds are he had a brother or a close friend in another regiment that
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he wanted to visit and sort of go to the pub with for a few days
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Today, the remains of the fort Messichus long to escape are excavated with help from volunteers
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Urging them on is a family hooked on the path. I've got five children
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I tried to persuade all five that there were various honest ways of earning money
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and one of them wasn't archaeology. The Burley family has been excavating the site on and off
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for, well, 70 or 80 years, really. It started with Andrew's grandfather, Eric
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who bought the site in 1929. The rest is family history. I was born and brought up here
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When I was born, my father was excavating headquarters building. And I just loved the place
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and I was always fascinated to know what was actually going on here. It certainly is a tremendous experience to find something
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and know that you're the first person to have touched it for the best part of 2,000 years
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It's wonderful to be able to handle all of these things, the excitement when the excavation's going on
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Andy, you better have a look at this. Yes, sir. Here you go
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Oh, now that is definitely an ink writing tablet that you've got there
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See how thin it is? And it's got a slightly oily sheen to it
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And just in the corner here, there's a little notch in the wood, and that's where they string the different leaves together. Mm-hm
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There aren't very many about. And that little thing there could rewrite history. Fantastic
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Very, very, very carefully. Pop that into water, and then we'll get that down to the lab in a couple of hours' time
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And it can start its conservation. Andrew's mother, Patricia Burley, takes over from there
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To free the tablets from the sticky bog requires the patience of a saint and the touch of a surgeon
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When something's been in the ground for as long as 2,000 years
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it's very, very fragile indeed. You can feel the brush going through the tablet
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and onto your fingers beneath. It's also been burnt in antiquity, so it's very, very black indeed
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The writing tablets are conserved using methylated spirits, and the ink is preserved beautifully
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It really is a handshake with the past. you can start to relate to people and think about their daily lives
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But how did these fragile handshakes, these letters to and from the Roman front get here in the first place Archaeological surveys reveal the Romans are rhodoholics 50 miles of paved thoroughfares link the far edges of the empire
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to the officers and grunts of Vindolinda. Here, Messicus and his mates appeal to faraway friends and family
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for what amount to care packages. One man begs for clothing, not for himself, but for his men
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I greet you and ask that you send the things which I need for the use of my boys
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Six tunics which you well know I cannot properly get hold of here
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Another soldier vents his disappointment when his letters home have gone unanswered
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Very many greetings. I want you to know I am in very good health, as I hope you are
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you neglectful man who has sent me not one letter. NEIL KAUFMANN, NEEDLESS TO SAY
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EVEN THE SMALLEST OF MAIL DELIVERIES ARE MAJOR DEALS. THE LETTERS FROM VINDOLANDE HAVE HELP HISTORIANS
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peek into some mysterious corners of Roman life, whether they wanted to or not
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For instance, have you ever wondered Have you ever wondered whether Roman soldiers wore anything under those tunics
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Well, you're in luck. Now a letter from home answers the question once and for all
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It reads as follows. Greet Tetricus and all your messmates, with whom I pray that you live in the greatest of good fortune
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I have sent you socks from Satwa, two pairs of sandals, and two pairs of underpants
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that foot soldiers had major cash flow problems. They only get paid twice a year or three times a year at most
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And the sort of coins they're getting paid in are the sort of coins I've got in my hand right here
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Beautiful little copper alloy coins. According to one letter, without cold cash
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Messicus and his brothers are plum out of luck. Unless you send me some cash, at least 500 denarii
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the result will be that I shall lose what I have laid out on deposit. and I shall be embarrassed
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While Messicus struggles to make ends meet, his commanding officer, Flavius Serialis
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earns about 50 times more. We know an awful lot about him
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We've got 80 or 90 of his letters now, and I can tell you his wife, his children
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names of his wife, his children, his friends. Like a soap opera, this letter we've ever found
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Letters found at Vindolanda reveal that Flavius and his men were not from Rome
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In fact, they weren't even Roman. They hailed from Batavia, what is called the Netherlands today
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A Roman historian said the Batavians were, like weapons and armor, only to be used in war
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They had some tremendous skills which the Romans valued, like they could swim across rivers fully armed, leading their horses with them
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The Romans also used them to win the Battle of Mons Grappis
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When he's not stalking Britons, Commander Flavius Serialis hunts wild game. A letter tells just how
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Greetings. If you love me, brother, I ask that you send me some hunting nets
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you should make the pieces very strong. Every our commanding officer has four different kinds of special nets
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for catching small birds, medium-sized birds, swans even. After a long day on the hunting grounds, Flavius lives the high life
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Shopping lists discovered at Vindolanda show he dined on fresh oysters and vintage wines
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Cheers. Flavius is allowed to bring his family to the frontier. his wife named Lepidina dresses fashionably
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His children have a private tutor to school them in a classical Roman education
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The Burleys unearthed a fragment of Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid, written in a child's hand
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When they saw the translation, they were astonished to find something more than just a Latin lesson
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...the normal capital, inter aar pavidam volitem spinata, then it should have said per urbem
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Then someone in totally different handwriting. You see here, S-E-G, short for signator
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Sloppy work. He's done pretty well, poor chap, but then he's gone wrong
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No doubt he got a crack over the head from the teacher who wrote sloppy on it
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While Flavius enjoys the good life, his soldiers at the fort take time off for bad behavior
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Discoveries at the fort open a steamy new chapter on the fast life at the Roman front
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At Vindolanda, hanky-panky and personal hygiene coexist at the bathhouse. Every Roman fort worth its salt at a bathhouse
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Now, bathhouses are two things. They're obviously for bathing, but it's also where you go in your off-duty hours to let off steam
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to let off steam. And after a hot dip, nothing hits the spot
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better than a brewski. An officer's letter confirms that Messicus and his pals
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have a powerful thirst for beer. Be well disposed toward me. My fellow soldiers have no beer
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Please order some to be sent. But somewhere along the line, Vindolanda's party animals
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get fed up with making beer runs. A brewery is built just outside the fort
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The Burleys even found inventory lists of the grains used to make beer
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and the name of the brewer, Atrectus. British beer is supposed to smell absolutely disgusting
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but I suppose once you've drank nine or ten pints, it doesn't really matter. Roman soldiers also find ways to satisfy their libidos
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while stationed here. At Vindolando, it's quite clear that there were times during the day when those bars were thrown open to the civilians
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There is evidence for prostitution, although they didn't call it that. Instead of calling these working girls prostitutes, Romans politely referred to them as actresses
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While casual sex is tolerated on the frontier, at least one Roman emperor tries to keep the lid on things
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He decrees that no place of entertainment may be built too close to garrison walls
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The fact that he issued the edict so many times shows that no one was paying any attention to him whatsoever
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I don't think they were obsessed with sex. I think they were actually very much open about sex
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Artifacts discovered at Vindolanda bear this out. This figurine celebrates the female form
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And these small phallic-shaped pendants leave nothing to the imagination except perhaps who wore them and where
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This item has nothing to do with sex, but everything to do with fun and games in the bathhouse
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The Roman soldiers are notorious for their gambling. We find traces of that in parts of gaming boards and, of course, dice
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And it's one of those objects from the Roman period that you could pick up and use in exactly the same way today
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Along with beer and actresses came the occasional game of Roman craps
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One pair of ancient dice proves that some players made their own luck
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It's very evident on a few that they have got little lead plugs and little lead fills
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which means that they roll five or six practically every time. So there's obviously a bit of cheating going on
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On the frontier, rip-offs are common. We often get weights and measures which say they're one thing and definitely are not
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Whether it's spoiled wine or a tipped scale, getting caught cheating is not taken lightly
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In Roman cities, committing robbery could bring a sentence of crucifixion. Even offenses like bribery or slander could result in death
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Out on the frontier, justice was dispensed by local garrison commanders. Roman army punishment is usually very straightforward
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Your company commanders all have as their basic badge of office a vine stick
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and they use it. Punishments for even the smallest crimes are severe
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both for soldiers and civilians. One letter, discovered at Vindolanda, is a personal appeal from a merchant
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For the crime of cheating his customers, he faces a brutal whipping. Okay
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As befits an honest man, I implore your mercifulness not to allow me, a man from overseas and an innocent one
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about whose good faith you may inquire, to have been bloodied by rods as if I had committed a crime
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The plea for mercy is denied. The Burleys are intrigued by a single phrase within the letter where the merchant refers
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to himself as a man from overseas. I'm a man from overseas
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That's a very interesting statement, that, because what he's saying is, look, I'm a proper Roman
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Beatings are for Brits, not for people like me. Roman oppression of native people may well have included atrocities far worse than whippings
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Recently, new and chilling evidence emerged from the bar. Staring excavators in the face was the skull of a decapitated man
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A small set of almost panic swept across my face because I really wasn't expecting anything of that sort to be there
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In spite of their defeat at Mons-Groecis, the Britons remain a constant threat to the
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Romans at the end of the first century. All hope for peace has been shattered, and we
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now know the soldiers here had more to worry about than just their own lives
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When archaeologists excavate a barracks, they discover the men of Vindalanda had made yet another adaptation to the frontier
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You'd expect a squad of eight men in each of these rooms
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But when we yzed the finds from these rooms and particularly when our leather expert yzed the finds she reported that in two of the rooms most of the footwear belonged to women and children
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Roman soldiers had taken common law wives and started families. And that really knocks on the head, the idea of this poor old Roman soldier having to do his
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own mending and washing and everything. Don't you believe a word of it? Queen of them all was Vindolanda's fashion diva
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the commander's wife, Sulpicia Lepidina. We know quite a bit about Lepidina from the writing tablets
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She's just a little bit vain, I think. She's got a very nice, neat foot
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She has her shoes imported from a very expensive shoemaker in Gaul
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Lepidina led an active social life and had close friends. A party invitation sent by the wife of the commander of a nearby fort
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is both sophisticated and deeply felt. Greetings. I send you a warm invitation to come to us on September 11th
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for my birthday celebrations to make my day more enjoyable by your presence
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Farewell, sister, my dearest soul. While Lepidina fills her social calendar, Messicus and his brothers hone their survival skills
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To find the enemy's weak points, they practice with wooden mock-ups of the Long-Britain swords
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Javelin practice is also a must. Fixed with sharp-tempered points, their shafts bend on impact
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making them difficult to pull out of a wound. This ancient target attests to the deadly aim of Roman javelin jockeys
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They would get something like an ox skull, like this, stick it on a pole, cut all sorts of little holes, bang, straight into it
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Javelins may have also played a role in early attempts at psychological warfare
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One javelin found at Vindolanda has a mysterious hole in the point
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When this is really thrown hard, the head will rotate and it'll probably give off a little whistling noise
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which I suppose adds to the effect of terror. Terror. For enemies of Rome, terror extends beyond death itself
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The Batavians practice a gruesome tradition on the battlefield, taking heads for souvenirs
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At the dig site, the Burleys find possible confirmation of this savage ritual
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Well, you've got half a skull. Where's the other half? We're going to have it yzed and we're going to test to see whether the person has been scalped alive and then killed or has had the hair removed after death
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Such atrocities only stiffen Britain resistance to the Roman invaders. But in 117 AD, the Britons finally get some good news
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Ironically, it comes from the heart of Rome itself. Emperor Trajan, the architect of imperial domination, has died
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Rome had seemed as hard and invincible as its canyons of marble and stone
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Now the death of Trajan runs like a crack through the foundation
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All around the frontiers, all the people on the fringes rose against Rome or rose in rebellion
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and this included the Britons. Near Vindolanda, tribal leaders do their best to tarnish the gleam of Roman might in the
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eyes of their warriors. The gods have delivered them into our hands
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Be not frightened of the idle display, the glitter of gold and of silver, which can neither
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protect nor wound. As the Britain's resistance intensifies
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more complex weapons are issued to the men of Vindolanda. One of the most effective is the ballista
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a lethal anti-personnel weapon originally developed by the Greeks. Cocked like a giant crossbow it fires iron bolts through the air at speeds of 150 feet per second The impact is so powerful the missiles pierce heavy armor
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But for Messick and his mates, finding human targets will be the problem
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The Britons now avoid the open battlefield. They fight a hit-and-run war, picking off the Romans one by one
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Native tactics so incense the Romans, one soldier vents his disgust in a letter found at Vindeland
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Their cavalry do not use swords, nor do the wretched bretunculi take up fixed positions in order to throw javelins
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There's this extraordinary expression, a previously unknown word, which you have to regard as either pathetic little Brits or nasty little Brits
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And then it says the little Brits can't sit up properly to hurl their javelins
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The Britons have found the fatal flaw in Roman strategy
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Now, Messicus and his brothers face a new enemy, themselves. Where they couldn't cope is exactly the same as where modern armies can't cope
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and that is guerrilla warfare in mountainous, forested regions. The Britons have become invisible
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To find them, Messicus and his brothers are forced to leave the open battlefield
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In this new realm, the element of superior force comes in a poor second to the element of surprise
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The Romans are thrown off guard by the fury of their enemy
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Death with honor is their only salt, a code defined by the Roman general Agricola
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Better an honorable death than a life of shame and safety. and it would be no inglorious end to perish on the extreme confines of earth and nature
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Guerrilla warfare takes its toll on Messicus and his comrades. It may have also had a brutalizing impact on life inside Vindolanda itself
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You've just got the head thrown in a ditch with the domestic rubbish, which quite frankly is appalling
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Additional finds lead the Burleys to rethink the grisly mystery of the severed head
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They begin to wonder whether the skull belongs to a Roman murdered by one of his own
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We can see the horrific injuries that this person has sustained in the last moments of this person's life
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In particular, it's this fairly clean cut to the right-hand side of the skull, but also very visible
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The other side of the head was repeatedly attacked with a blunt instrument while the person was falling
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At the scene of the crime, another lead emerges. Excavators find a second set of bones, the skeleton of a small dog, found lying right next to the human skull
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Britain's own dogs, but they didn't take mascots into battle. Also worth noting, this animal did not die a natural death
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And if we look in particular at this side of the skull, you can see that the animal's been
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polaxed in a very similar fashion to the human next door. It's quite possible that this animal died in the defense of the owner
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Violence within the fort reflects the growing threat beyond its walls. Over the decades, the body count from this endless guerrilla war
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grinds down Rome's determination to push further north into the highlands. A new emperor wants to cut Rome's losses without losing face
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but his colossal solution drives the men of Vindolanda up the wall
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Almost 40 years after the Battle of Mons Ravius Emperor Hadrian has a brainstorm Replace a wall of Roman soldiers with a wall of stone
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Roman casualties along the Britain front continue to escalate, so Hadrian makes an executive decision
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Instead of hoisting beers on their time off, The boys from Vindelanda will be lifting construction blocks
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Military units are ordered to construct a great wall, nine feet thick and 15 feet tall
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To make it all happen, the man himself personally designs and supervises the job on site
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And Hadrian's message, I think, by building the wall to the people at home was
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Look, boys, there's going to be no more wars of expansion. That's it
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Hadrian's creation includes defensive ditches and berms. To compound the challenge, he keeps changing the plans
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even after his return to Rome. People must have been going absolutely mad
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particularly the soldiers who had to do the work. That work remains in place some 2,000 years after the fact
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Hadrian's wall runs 73 miles from the Irish Sea to the North Sea
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Today, it's a World Heritage Site and a mecca for cross-country hikers
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But for those who built it, the wall was a great scar of stone, a monument to the lowered
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expectations of Imperial Rome. Carved into the walls at Vindolanda is a more earthy symbol of Roman arrogance
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We find an astonishing specimen, 12 inches long, so pointing at the enemy, as it were
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more or less meaning up yours. So rich are the finds at Vindelande, it will take an estimated 200 years to complete the excavation
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On their watch, the Burleys are more than happy to take things a day at a time
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I love everything that we find, whether it's buildings or ovens or utensils, weapons
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jewelry, fixtures, fittings, a whole lot. And you just wonder, what's going to appear tomorrow
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I think of Vindolanda as almost a person in its own right
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It's like someone stepping out and shaking your hand from the past
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In the end, the same delivery service that linked Lepidina to the outside world
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will bring the world of Vindolanda to an end. In 105 AD, the men of the garrison are ordered to ship out
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The garrison and all unnecessary items must be destroyed to keep them from falling into enemy hands
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The Burleys believe the men were rushed to the Danube to suppress a rebellion in what is today the country of Romania
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They chuck out stuff they didn't need, including their waste paper. You could tell they'd gone in a hurry because in some of the rooms there were piles of junk left on the floor
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And along with this priceless junk were the letters. Too numerous to take along
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Too sensitive to leave behind. But as the fires of Vindelon begin to consume the diary of a Roman garrison
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Vindaland's cruddy, miserable, and notorious weather, the bane of future archaeologists, intercedes
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Blown free of the flames, the letters are saved from oblivion by the cold north country rains
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Ultimately, a new fort is built on the same site by replacement troops
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Sealed by accident beneath its peat foundations are messages from lonely warriors, desperate
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men, and survivors. from the Roman front, words, feelings, and hopes
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written not by heroes or monsters, but by human beings
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