On Monday 12th March, Justin Blake, Deputy Director of Excavations for the Vindolanda Trust, gave a talk to the Heddon on the Wall Local History Society focussing on recent finds at Vindolanda.
Vindolanda Roman Fort by Chris Gunns
© Copyright Chris Gunns and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
In the last five years, excavations have continued both inside the fort and in the vicus outside. Evidence is slowly accumulating that there was no clear cut off between military and civilian in both areas.
Granary, Vindolanda by A Curtis (2012)
| The granaries within the stone fort date from around AD213. 560 seeds were recovered, the majority of cereals but also sedge and dock. Mice were clearly a problem but the find of an owl pellet may suggest that natural control was encouraged as was the case in later times when owl-windows were built in barns. |
Several important small finds were made, including: a fine statue of Priapus, fertility god; a bronze strip calendar for the month of September; an annular brooch of C8th or C9th date from a period of occupation after the Romans had left. A large number of coin finds in the area indicated that this was an important market place.
Finds within the recently excavated barrack blocks dating from the same period in the north part of the fort included beads, brooches and other female items and showed that women were probably living in the fort and not just outside it. | 
Barracks, Vindolanda by A Curtis (2012)
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Temple to Jupiter Doilchenus, Vindolanda. Photo by A Curtis (2012)
| The temple at the north-west end of the stone fort, close to the north gate, was found in 2009. in front of it were two altars. One was complete with the relief of the weather god, Jupiter Dolichenus, riding a bull with a lightning bolt in one hand and an axe in the other Link |
The find took place on day two of the 2009 summer season by a volunteer couple on their first excavation. The temple is dated to around AD220 and was probably erected by a commanding officer of the 4th cohort of Gauls. The weather god, Dolichenus, originated in the region of south-east Turkey, and was widely adopted by the Romans in the C2nd. The temple was destroyed by fire around AD370 when paganism was being replaced by Christianity.
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