The Vindolanda Guide

by Andrew Birley

The official guidebook put out by the Vindolanda Trust.

Genres: History

51 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Andrew Ives · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Vindolanda at all until someone brought this back from a visit for me to read. For those like me who didn't know already, Vindolanda is a sizeable excavation of a Roman settlement close to Hadrian's Wall which was build around 120AD, so parts of this settlement date from around 100-400AD. The excavation work shown herein has been quite an extensive undertaking over decades, unearthing many unusual artefacts, which are mostly housed in the nearby museum (and some of the written tablets are in the British Museum). This guide is glossy and attractive to read, informative and accessible. Apart from a few typos, such as the heading on p36, it's rather nicely written and illustrated with colour photos throughout. Also, this particular copy that I had came unglued even after very gentle treatment despite looking like new. The nearby Roman Army Museum and Hexham Abbey seem like a worthwhile day out too. I would quite like to visit them all having read this guide. 4.25/5

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought to accompany visiting Vindolanda. Good descriptions and pictures as well as background info to the archaeological work on the site.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short but useful guidebook gives you an overview of the Vindolanda Roman site near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England. It covers the ruins which have been uncovered as well as information on the remarkable holdings of the museum.