Before Hadrian’s Wall was built, the fort at Vindolanda (Chesterholm) in Northumberland was one of the main military posts on the northern frontier. In 1973, archaeologists excavating the site of the fort discovered the first of hundreds of examples of a new type of wooden writing tablet – ink writing on thin sheets of wood. Most of these date from AD 97-105. Many are from the correspondence of a commanding officer, Flavius Cerialis. They give a vivid picture of life on a frontier post during the Roman period. Military documents tell us what the soldiers did and what they ate. Lists of supplies include barley, wheat, beer, salt, spices and meat, including ham, pork and venison, as well as garum, a strong fish sauce which the Romans loved and which may have been imported, as was wine.

There are also private letters such as the one about a parcel sent from home containing socks, sandals and underpants, the note sent between slaves preparing for the feast of Saturnalia, or the appeal from an outraged civilian to the Governor complaining about a beating he has received at the hands of a soldier. One of the most famous tablets is a birthday party invitation sent to Cerialis’ wife Sulpicia Lepidina, which shows that there were obviously periods when it was possible to lead a normal family life on the frontier.