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Monday 19 June 2017

Hadrian's Wall Trip

I recently got back from a small trip to Hadrian's Wall. I am a huge archaeology and Roman history fan so seeing these sites in person (and actually understanding what they were) was truly incredible! 




Housesteads

Located on the rocky crag section of the wall, it was much easier to imagine how Roman soldiers felt when the wall was at it's full height and strength. You can see the wall snaking up the hill from the fort, and it was so cool to see such huge sections of the wall. 





Temple of Mithras, Carrawburgh and Poltross Burn (Milecastle 48)

These are both sites that we just stumbled across, they aren't as spectacular as the large forts but both were worth the visit. The Temple of Mithras would have looked quite different in it's complete state, but it was still cool to see the general layout and replica altars.





Birdoswald and Chesters 

Visiting Roman Britain sites in the rain only adds to the atmosphere and reality that thousands of soldiers lived at these forts. The museum at Chesters had so many artefacts, including tiny altars which may be my new favourite thing. 





Vindolanda

Finally my favourite site, and also the site where I will be excavating in August! Vindolanda is by far the most excavated site that we visited. The museum houses the preserved leather shoes, and some of the famous Vindolanda Tablets. Most exciting to see was the current excavations, meaning we could watch archaeology and archaeological discoveries right in front of us! 

I'm doing a module on Roman Britain next year which this trip has made me even more excited about! I'll also be writing a post about my time excavating at Vindolanda, alongside a post about my excavations in Greece this summer!