RFG Autumn Meeting : Paper Over-view
(arranged alphabetically by speaker)
Changing perceptions and expanding horizons - interpreting the significance of an intramural
temple dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus at Vindolanda. Andrew Birley. The discovery of an
intramural temple, constructed on the northern rampart of the 3rd century fort at Vindolanda, set
up to Jupiter Dolichenus came as a complete surprise to the excavators. Although formal religious
space is set aside inside the fort, in the form of the chapel of the standards within the principia, the
discovery of a full blown temple inside the walls of a fort was hitherto unheard of. Continuing
excavation of the area surrounding the temple illustrated that this structure was not set in perfect
isolation and that other surrounding structures and the deposition of associated material culture
offer further insights in to the role that this building played within the social structure of the
Vindolanda military community in the 3rd century.
The Vindolanda Writing Tablets. Anthony Birley. This lecture on the writing-tablets will take a rapid
look at some key texts which tell us about the prefect Flavius Cerialis, his wife Sulpicia Lepidina, their
friends Aelius Brocchus and Claudia Severa, their dinners and birthday parties and hunting; some of
the other officers and men at Vindolanda; the 'little Brits' (Brittunculi); invoices and lists showing
what was being purchased and eaten; and finally a bit of culture (a line of Virgil's Georgics).
The Vindolanda Beads – new evidence. Barbara Birley. Since its last publication in 2006 the
Vindolanda bead collection has almost doubled, increasing not only the more common types of
beads, but also adding to the more unusual specialist beads. This talk will cover new information
about these small finds including spatial analysis from the recent excavations inside the fort and the
extramural settlement.
Recent Finds from Vindolanda. Barbara Birley. Every year the excavations at Vindolanda bring to
light more interesting and unusual artefacts as well as fine examples of the more common everyday
finds from the site. This talk will include a selection from the most recent including 2012 excavations.
Objects first: The new exhibitions at Vindolanda. Patricia Birley: Good museum interpretation is a
direct consequence of finds research and has the power to communicate the value and
understanding of collections to a diverse range of audiences. Whatever the chosen exhibition
techniques, we believe that interpretation designers benefit from a high level of involvement by
curatorial and research personnel in the interpretation and design process and that this is the key to
a successful exhibition.
Tools from Vindolanda: Craftsmen at a northern frontier fort and their amazing literate Roman
Oxen. Justin Blake. A talk covering the highlights of Vindolanda’s extensive collection of finely
preserved iron tools including several rare examples.
The First Souvenirs: Enamelled Vessels from Hadrian's Wall. David J Breeze. Three small vessels
have been found which bear the names of Hadrian's Wall forts. Two appear to show a depiction of
the Wall and a fourth pan found at Bath has the same motif. This lecture will consider the names of
the forts, the dates of the pans and their possible uses as well as the likely place of their production.
Finds from the Final-Phase Frontier: Vestigial Soldiers or Early Warbands? Rob Collins. The
‘warband model’ proposed by Casey in 1993 and further developed by Wilmott from his excavations
at the Wall-fort of Birdoswald has now received general acceptance (if not universal agreement)
amongst frontier scholars. Finds from the Frontier has also highlighted the amount of small finds
evidence available from the late Roman North, though also flagging how the North varies from other
regions of Britannia as well as other late Roman frontiers. Given the complexities of the
identification of a ‘military assemblage’ and material from the 5th century, this paper will present
the evidence (and the lack of evidence) for distinct artefact profiles associated with the twilight of
Roman Britain.
Horse harness fittings from South Shields. Alex Croom. An overview of the horse harness equipment
from South Shields Roman fort, including pieces associated with the Antonine barrack-stables, thirdcentury fittings and a probable hoard.
Interpreting Celtic art on the Roman frontier. Fraser Hunter. Objects decorated in styles typical of
Celtic art are common finds on frontier forts and settlements. This paper will look at the different
types of styles and objects to see what might lie behind this.
The Clayton Collection : A 21st century view of a 19th century collection. Frances McIntosh. The
material held at the museum in Chesters, Northumberland was mainly collected by John Clayton
between 1840 and 1890. He excavated at Chesters and at many other sites along Hadrian’s Wall,
often buying pieces of land to save the Wall and allow their study. My PhD (funded by the Trustees
of the Clayton Collection) aims to produce an analysis of the material to study what this important
assemblage can tell us about occupation of Chesters, and its place within the Central and Eastern
sector of Hadrian’s Wall. I am also looking at the material from other sites such as Housesteads,
Cawfields and Vindolanda, adding the new information to what is already known about these sites. I
hope to show what can be achieved from the 21st study of a 19th century antiquarian’s collection,
and highlight the role John Clayton played in Hadrian’s Wall studies. This paper will present my initial
results, taking stock of the potential of this material and highlight some of the avenues for research.
Ritual river or military highway? Interpreting the objects from the Piercebridge votive deposit
Philippa Walton
Over the past twenty years, more than 5,000 Roman objects have been recovered from the bed of
the River Tees at Piercebridge, County Durham. The objects include, amongst other things, jewellery,
military artefacts, coinage, medical instruments and figurines. Although found directly adjacent to
the third century Roman fort and small town, these objects do not appear to represent settlement
detritrus. Rather, they form a large and diverse votive deposit, unrivalled even by the material from
the Sacred Spring at Bath and Coventina’s Well, Northumberland. This paper will assess the
contribution that these objects can make to our understanding of religious practice at the periphery
of the Roman Empire, particularly with regards to the creation and expression of Roman military
identity through votive deposition. It will suggest that the liminal location of the deposit, at the last
major river crossing before the frontier, is key to understanding its richness and complexity.