Ancient Roman writing tablets found at Northumberland fort

The tablets are nearly 2000 years old Credit: The Vindolanda Trust

Almost 2000 years after they were discarded 25 rare Roman ink documents have been discovered, preserved in the damp earth, at Vindolanda in Northumberland.

The Vindolanda writing tablets are incredibly fragile, wafer-thin pieces of wood and contain letters, lists and personal correspondence.

The tablets were discovered on the afternoon of 22 June 2017 as archaeologists excavated a three metre trench at the Roman Fort.

It's the most important discovery at Vindolanda since a previous hoard of tablets was unearthed in 1992.

The archaeological team, carefully and painstakingly extracted the delicate pieces of wood from the earth Credit: The Vindolanda Trust
Most of the tablets will have been written before the construction of Hadrian’s Wall started in the AD 120’s. Credit: The Vindolanda Trust

One name already deciphered on the tablets is a man called Masclus who is already known via a previous letter to his Commanding Officer asking for more beer to be supplied to his outpost. In one of the newly discovered letters he seems to have been applying for leave.

The tablets are now undergoing painstaking conservation and infrared photography so that the full extent of their text can be revealed.