Hand of God
Currently held in British Museum
Description
Archaeologists believe that a bronze hand from the
Roman fort of Vindolanda was associated with the
cult worship of Jupiter Dolichenus at the site. The
palm of the four-inch hand may have once held a
small effigy of the god, who was often depicted
riding a bull and grasping an ax and a lightning
bolt, says Vindolanda director of excavations,
archaeologist Andrew Birley. The hand was
originally attached to a staff that was likely used to
bless worshippers. Although much is still unknown
about the cult of Jupiter Dolichenus, it is believed
that its origins lie in the Near East. The cult of
Jupiter Dolichenus is shrouded in mystery as very
little evidence has survived of its myths, liturgies or
rituals. Historians believe the bronze sculpture was
linked to Jupiter Dolinchenus, a favourite god of
the Roman military. “The discovery of Jupiter
Dolichenus’ bronze hand, deposited as a
thanksgiving offering, demonstrates just how
serious the conflict was and how relieved the
Roman soldiers were that it had ended,” said Dr
Andrew Birley, director of the Vindolanda
excavations.
Roman Leather Boxing Gloves
Currently held in British Museum
Description
Roman boxing gloves have been discovered near
Hadrian’s Wall, thought to be the only known
surviving examples, even though the sport was
well- documented on Roman wall paintings,
mosaics and sculptures. With a protective guard
designed to fit snugly over the knuckles, the
gloves were packed with natural material which
acted as shock absorbers. They date from
around AD120 and were certainly made to last:
they still fit comfortably on a modern hand. One
of them even retains the impression of the
knuckles of its ancient wearer. Boxing was a
popular spectator sport in the Roman Empire. In
the context of the Roman Army, it was a
recorded pursuit, a martial activity designed to
increase the skills and fitness of the boxers. In
any case, the researchers have hypothesized
that both of these gloves were possibly used for
sparring practice (as opposed to real fights) since
their stiffened contact edges are softer than the
brutal metal-made inserts used in the
professional bouts.
Role of archaeologists including practical
tasks, academic tasks and ethics.
Archaeology is one of the main sources we have
to unearth history and to piece together the
people and cultures that make us who we are
today. Archaeologists study the origin,
development, and behaviour of human beings
and their societies, both past and present. They
examine cultures, languages, behaviours,
archaeological remains, and physical
characteristics of people in many parts of the
world.
Excavation techniques
Techniques used to find a site may include
remote sensing (for example, by aerial
photography), soil surveys, and walk-through or
surface surveys. The digging of shovel tests,
augured core samples and, less commonly,
trenches may also be used to locate
archaeological sites
Analysis of artefacts
Usually, the artifacts are sorted into broad
categories by the types of materials, such as
stone (lithics), bone, and ceramic. Once sorted
into those initial categories, the categories can
be subdivided by other physical attributes such
as decorations, color, shape, size and other
physical dimensions, raw material sources.
These sub-categories can then be further
refined until all the artifacts that share similar
attributes and/or physical properties are
grouped together and define artifact types,
creating a typology. (e.g pottery and stone
tools).
Who and when was the site discovered?
Anthony Hedley excavated at the site in the
1830’s. The first more scientific excavations
were carried out by Eric Birley in the 1930's.  - geophysical survey, which has greatly
The Vindolanda Trust. (2019). Where is the
site?
How was the site discovered + which ends of
history was this?
Built to guard the wild northern frontier of the
Roman Empire in AD122, Hadrian’s Wall was
more than just a barricade; it was a vibrant and
multi-cultural occupied military zone of mile-
castles, barracks, ramparts, forts and
settlements; sprawling almost 80 miles in
length from the North Sea to the Irish Sea.
(United Nations ESCO, 2018).
Dating methods
Typology - Relative - classifying artefacts
according to types, on the basis of similarities
of features eg shape, decoration. Often used
for pottery.
Stratigraphy – Relative - Stratigraphy is based
on the principle that the lower the layer, the
older are the deposits.
Dendro-chronology – Absolute - ‘Tree-ring’
dating. Each ring is one year’s growth and the
width of the ring depends of the weather.
Often used to confirm other methods of dating.
Radiocarbon – Absolute - All living organisms
absorb radioactive carbon 14 during their
lifetimes, and when they die the carbon 14
decays at a fixed rate. After 5730 years, about
half of radioactivity is left. By measuring what’s
left, it is possible to deduce when the organism
died. Used to date organic material such as
wood and bone.
Conservation of artefacts
Desert Heat e.g. mummified bodies: Excessively
dry conditions halted the normal rate of decay.
Waterlogging e.g. marsh/peat bogs: There is
little oxygen for the normal processes of decay
to work or for bacteria to survive
Volcanic Ash e.g. Pompeii: Volcanoes have
occasionally preserved cities as well as
destroying them.
Different types of dig sites
Some sites, such as temples, forts, roads,
villages, ancient cities, palaces, and industrial
remains, are easily visible on the surface of the
ground.
- dendrochronology, which has allowed
us to date precisely timbers used in fort
construction
increased our knowledge of the extent
of the civilian settlements outside forts
- Stratigraphy: It is really important that
you pay attention to the soil that you’re
working with. If you notice a change in
texture or colour, this may be an
indication that you are actually working
in a new context. It can also tell you
what area you are working in. For
example, many of us have been
working in ditches, so the colour of the
ditch fill has been a brownish colour,
while the edge of the ditch is grey.
Why is Vindolanda important?
Firstly, because of how well the site is preserved, it gives us an insight into what life was like for
the people (the Roman soldiers, the Celtic tribes, the businessmen and the families) who
inhabited this fort and the areas around it. This is extremely important because any insight into
the past, not just in the form of Vindolanda, helps future generations to understand how we, as
a society and a species as a whole, have developed. Whether this is development in technology
or opinions, whatever information we can get from the past is extremely significant to our
studies. But going back to Vindolanda, the fort itself gives us information such as the stages of
archaeology that it went through during the times it was used. It also shows the development of
usage, for example, it went from having little luxuries i.e. a small bathhouse, an officer’s house
and a stone headquarters building to eventually expanding and having a fine bathhouse and also
a guesthouse which could house up to 6 residents – these are the things that we are able to see
today.

However, as much as the remains of the fort are important, the Vindolanda tablets found
around the site themselves also give a unique and interesting perspective into the past. The
Vindolanda tablets were found extremely well preserved around the area of the fort. There are
over 400 tablets and they are made from thinly cut pieces of wood which are between 1 and
3mm thick. But what’s even more incredible is that people have written on these pieces of wood
and the tablets have been so well preserved that the writing is still legible. The reason for this
preservation is that they were found, mainly, in a rubbish heap which was waterlogged and in
anaerobic conditions therefore no oxygen could decay the wood slates and so they have been
sitting there waiting to be discovered for almost 20 centuries.

The tablets not only tell us about the military aspect of the romans but they also give insight
into life in Britain at the time. Found on some of the tablets were shopping lists, letters to
complain about the lack of a reply from another person and even requests for more beer.
However, one of the most famous transcripts was an invitation to a birthday party and it is
dated around 100 AD. These texts make us all realise that even centuries before our time,
people were just like us and did things we do even now and it also shows that Vindolanda was
more than a fort: it was a home to many roman soldiers and even to civilians living near this
settlement. Another reason Vindolanda is important is because it is an amazing and rare existing
example of how multicultural the Roman army was. Around 120AD, the garrison was made up
of a combination of people from many different places including men from Belgium and also
men from northern Spain (it is likely that these men were with the Roman army as freedmen or
slaves). Vindolanda actually represents one of the most multicultural and dynamic communities
used by the Roman Empire at the time.

Finally, the last reason for this fort’s importance, that I will include as there are many more, is
that Hadrian’s wall and the forts placed along it benefitted the ordinary people more than it
benefitted the Roman Empire. It did this through boosting the economy for the civilians
surrounding the forts and walls – instead of the Romans destroying any other settlement, they
instead left them and in turn, these farms or businesses began to flourish. This is important
because it shows that the Romans weren’t just ruthless soldiers sent to conquer lands – and
Vindolanda proves this.
EXTRACTED FROM: Sophie-Classics-Essay-Vindolanda.pdf (shavington.academy)