Roman documents discovered
We often think that the best information from the
Roman world comes from Egypt, where the dryness
preserves papyri. However, in Britain the reverse
conditions occur. At Vindolanda – a Roman fort located
two miles behind Hadrian’s Wall – the humidity
preserved wooden writing tablets that were thrown into
a bonfire when the fort was evacuated in CE 105.
These wooden tablets were one of the most important
discoveries made in Roman Britain in the 20th century.
They were used not for grand writings but for
memoranda and accounts, so they provide the best
insight into life in the Roman army found anywhere in
the world. One of the tablets says:
Octavius to Candidus: “I need money. I have bought
5,000 bushels of grain, and unless you send me some
money, I shall lose my deposit and be embarrassed”.
(Adaptado de http://www.archaeology.co.uk/specials/the-timeline-ofbritain/vindolanda-2.htm.
Acessado em 28/08/2016.)
Os documentos descobertos em Vindolanda