No abstract

OBJECTIVE

Waterlogged burial conditions impact upon artefact preservation. One major determinant of preservation is presence and behaviour of microorganisms, however, unravelling the mechanisms, especially in waterlogged conditions is challenging. In this study, we analysed elemental composition, bacterial diversity and community structure from excavation trenches at the Roman Site of Vindolanda, Northumberland, UK, using pXRF and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Excavation trenches provide information of different occupation periods. The results indicated that microbial communities were dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria at a phylum level. Samples which also had visible vivianite presence showed that there were marked increases in Methylophilus. Methylophilus might be associated with favourable preservation in these anaerobic conditions. More research is needed to clearly link the presence of Methylophilus with vivianite production. The study emphasises the need for further integration of chemical and microbiome approaches, especially in good preservation areas, to explore microbial and chemical degradation mechanisms.

Since 2009, work has been carried out in the North Field at Vindolanda, a Roman military fort in the frontier zone of Roman Britain. The excavations have been directed by the Vindolanda Trust, in conjunction with a team from the University of Western Ontario. Based on these first seasons, some significant preliminary conclusions about this area of the site can be made, which will be important in moving forward with further excavations and for future interpretations of the early occupation of this region by the Roman army. The North Field appears to have been occupied already in the last quarter of the first century and may prove with further excavation to contain a fort that pre-dates “Period I” at Vindolanda, settled in ad 85. The field also appears to have been an area of significant activity in the second and third centuries. Large stone structures and a fortified ditch enclosed at least part of the space in this period. These buildings were part of the thriving third-century extramural settlement explored extensively elsewhere at Vindolanda over the past decades. The findings from these five seasons (2009–2010 and 2012–2014) have led to further excavation campaigns in the North Field, which will continue for several more field seasons. This article disseminates the results of the exploratory trenches as the research moves forward with further excavation.

For at least the first two centuries of empire, marriage for most soldiers during their years of active service was legally banned by the state. It is equally clear that the law forbidding iustum matrimonium did not stop some auxiliary soldiers from forming de facto relationships and creating families whilst in service. In some cases, families will have traveled with soldiers who were in service. Whether they dwelt within the forts or in extramural settlements, family members formed an integral part of the military community.