The Truth About the Epic Roman Fort of VINDOLANDA (Secrets Revealed!)
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 09/01/2024

Check Part 1: The Truth About Hadrian’s Wall, Rome's False Northern Frontier (History Documentary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogxw-rbePh8 

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The Truth About Hadrian’s Wall Part 2: VINDOLANDA & More…

What is the truth about the Roman fort of Vindolanda just south of Hadrian’s Wall? Who were the Roman soldiers stationed here, what lives did they live, and what secrets have we uncovered from this site? I will answer these and many other questions in this video, and I will also take you to one of the most scenic parts of Hadrian’s Wall later in the video so stick about for that.

Now firstly, what actually is Vindolanda? Well Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, which it pre-dated by decades. Vindolanda was under Roman occupation from roughly 85 AD to 370 AD. For reference, construction on Hadrian’s Wall began in 122 AD, making Vindolanda a fascinating time-machine into pre-Hadrian Britain. We know that Romans used the word Vindolanda themselves for the fort, with it meaning white lawns or white fields. It is estimated that only 27% of Vindolanda has been excavated, with early excavations beginning in the 1830s. I will discuss some of the incredible and surprising finds later in the video.  

Vindolanda itself actually comprises nine forts built on top of each other. The first Vindolanda fort was part of an earlier Roman frontier system called the Stanegate Frontier. The Romans built a road across northern England that linked strategic forts at Carlisle in the west and Corbridge in the east with the likes of Vindolanda in the center. With the building of Hadrian’s Wall however these Stanegate forts were amalgamated into the new defensive system. 

But who were the Romans soldiers stationed at Vindolanda? Well, for those paying attention earlier, this site was a Roman auxiliary fort, meaning that most of the soldiers stationed here were non-citizen troops from places such as modern-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. We know that from the early 3rd century, the Cohors quarta Gallorum equitata (or "4th Part-mounted Cohort of Gauls") was stationed at Vindolanda, a unit of around 600 men made of up of 480 infantry, 120 cavalry. 

This unit was probably raised from Gallia Lugdunensis, a Roman province in parts of northern France today, which before Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, was part of the home of Celtic civilization in the ancient world, Gaul. It seems as well that local Britons were also incorporated into the unit. As an inscription reads:

Sources:

Top Roman History FAQs https://www.vindolanda.com/Pages/FAQs/Category/about-the-history-faq?Take=40 

Vindolanda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda 

Vindolanda https://hadrianswallcountry.co.uk/attraction/roman-vindolanda/ 

The Stanegate: a Frontier Rehabilitated https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/britannia/article/abs/the-stanegate-a-frontier-rehabilitated/FEEBA41017A2B63CADD780CD897F6546 

Vindolanda's top 10 finds of the decade https://www.vindolanda.com/blog/vindolandas-top-10-finds-of-the-decade
 
Oxford Reference - Tabellarii https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001/acref-9780199545568-e-6194 

Gallia Lugdunensis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallia_Lugdunensis 

#vindolanda #hadrianswall #romanempire