Archaeologists find human footprint left by naughty teenager 2,000 years ago at Roman fort
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
Adolescent could have been dodging a telling-off on Roman Tyneside
The first Roman footprint by a human at Vindolanda has been found in a tile© Vindolanda TrustMore than 6,000 leather shoes have previously been found at the Hadrian’s Wall site near the village of Bardon Mill. But the new find, made by Canadian student volunteer Mel Benard, is the clearest footstep left behind by the people who once roamed the north-east.
Mel Benard with her discovery© Vindolanda Trust“This was the first artefact that I had found. Finding something which would be considered special enough to go on display in the Vindolanda Museum was one of the ambitions of the Field School.
“It is so exciting to have discovered something which links you directly to that individual nearly 2,000 years later. We are all absolutely thrilled.”
Dr Elizabeth Green, the Co-Director of the Field School, says the site’s archaeology can shed light on “otherwise voiceless individuals”.
“I imagine the boy or girl who stepped in this newly produced tile was in more than a little trouble,” she thinks.
“This find is really extraordinary. It brings full circle the story that Vindolanda has to tell.”
This season’s excavations continue until September 25 2015.
- Visit the Vindolanda blog and the Vindolanda Trust on Twitter @vindolandatrust and on Facebook for more.
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Animal prints on wall tiles previously discovered at the site© Vindolanda Trust
Dog paws© Vindolanda Trust
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