Archaeologists are likening the discovery to winning the lottery. A Roman cavalry barracks has been unearthed near Hadrian’s Wall, complete with extraordinary military and personal possessions left behind by soldiers and their families almost 2,000 years ago. A treasure trove of thousands of artefacts dating from the early second century has been excavated over the past fortnight.

The find is significant not just because of its size and pristine state, but also for its contribution to the history of Hadrian’s Wall, showing the military build-up that led to its construction in AD122. The barracks pre-dates the wall: the Romans already had a huge military presence in the area, keeping the local population under control.

“The native Britons took an opportunity, when the emperor Trajan died in AD117, to rebel,” says Andrew Birley, who heads the archaeological team. “The soldiers stationed in the north before the wall was built became involved in fighting and were very vulnerable. The evidence we have from this [find] shows the incredibly rich and diverse lifestyle these people had.”

Archaeologists stumbled on the site by chance and have been taken aback by finds in a remarkable state of preservation. These include two extremely rare cavalry swords – one of them complete, still with its wooden scabbard, hilt and pommel – and two wooden toy swords. One has a gemstone in its pommel.

As well as other weapons, including cavalry lances, arrowheads and ballista bolts – all left behind on the floors – there are combs, bath clogs, shoes, stylus pens, hairpins and brooches. Sections of beautifully woven cloth have also been unearthed. They may have come from garments and have yet to be tested.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The barracks was discovered beneath the fourth-century stone fort of Vindolanda. Photograph: Sonya Galloway

There are also two wooden tablets covered in marks made in black ink. They are thought to be letters, but their contents have yet to be deciphered as they were rushed into a conservation laboratory to ensure their survival.

The barracks, which dates from AD105, was found beneath the fourth-century stone fort of Vindolanda, south of Hadrian’s Wall near Hexham, Northumberland. It is one of the site’s earliest barracks. Hadrian did not begin his 73-mile defensive barrier – to guard the north-western frontier of the province of Britain from invaders – until 122.

The artefacts survived because they were concealed beneath a concrete floor laid by the Romans about 30 years after the barracks was abandoned, shortly before 120. The concrete created oxygen-free conditions that helped preserve materials such as wood, leather and textiles, which would otherwise have rotted away.

Birley said: “The swords are the icing on the cake for what is a truly remarkable discovery of one of the most comprehensive and important collections from the intimate lives of people living on the edge of the Roman Empire at a time of rebellion and war. What’s exciting is that [they] are remarkably well-preserved … There is a huge range of stuff – their hair combs, pots, wooden spoons, bowls, weapons, bits of armour, and their cavalry bling.

“Even for us, it’s very unusual to get things like complete Roman swords, sitting on the ground in their scabbards with their handles and their pommels. We were slightly dumbfounded by that. Then, to find another complete sword in another room next door only two metres away, two wooden swords and a host of other cavalry equipment, all in beautiful condition, is just terrific.

“Archaeologists would never expect to find a Roman cavalry sword in any context, because it’s like a modern-day soldier leaving his barracks and dumping his rifle on the floor … This is a very expensive thing. So why leave [it] behind?”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Moments after being uncovered, the strap junction still shines because of the airless conditions in which it was preserved. Photograph: Sonya Galloway

He recalled feeling “quite emotional” over the discovery: “You can work as an archaeologist your entire life on Roman military sites and never expect, or imagine, seeing such a rare thing, even at Vindolanda. It felt like the team winning a form of archaeological lottery, and we knew we had something very rare and special before us.”

Archaeologists lifted up a piece of concrete flooring while exploring the foundations of the fourth-century stone fortress. They were struck by a layer of black, sweet-smelling and perfectly preserved anaerobic soil in an area where it was completely unexpected.

Hidden in this soil, they went on to find, were the timber walls and floors, fences, pots and animal bones from the abandoned barracks. To their astonishment, excavating about 3.5 metres down, they uncovered eight rooms, with stables for horses, and living accommodation, with ovens and fireplaces.

They believe that the base was home to more than 1,000 soldiers and probably many thousands more dependants, including slaves. The Romans had covered over this early barracks with concrete and heavy clay foundations before building another above it. At Vindolanda, garrisons would arrive, build their forts and destroy them when leaving.

Birley said: “We have got successive barracks above them, some of which are also cavalry, but they’re much later and not preserved with anything like the range of material that has come from within the anaerobic conditions. What you’re seeing here is the full range of stuff, and all those little details that normally rot away completely.”

Cavalry swords are very rare, even across the north-west provinces of the Roman empire, he said, partly because they are so thin. “They’re very light, a couple of feet long, designed to slash somebody as you’re riding past, with a wickedly sharp blade and a point.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reenactors at Hadrian’s Wall: it is believed up to 1,000 soldiers lived at the 2nd-century garrison. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Other finds include copper alloy cavalry fitments for saddles, strap junctions and harnesses. They are in such fine condition that they still shine and are almost completely free of corrosion. The strap junctions are preserved so beautifully, he said, that they have all their alloy links – incredibly rare survivals.

Much of the pottery has graffiti, from which the archaeologists hope to work out the names and stories of some of the people who lived here.

The discovery is all the more emotional for Birley, as his archaeologist father, Robin, headed the team that discovered the famous Vindolanda writing tablets in 1973. The new tablets may give further insights. They are letters either sent to, or written by, the people living in those buildings.

Birley said: “So, as a collection of stuff, it doesn’t really get better than that. Some of the documents will hopefully give the names, the characters, what they’re thinking about, what they’re doing.”

Quite why so much valuable material was left behind has yet to be discovered. One theory is that the barracks was abandoned in a hurry. Birley said: “There was strife. This is the precursor to Hadrian coming to the UK to build his wall. This is the British rebellion. So you can imagine a scenario where the guys and girls at Vindolanda are told: �?We need to leave in a hurry, just take what you can carry.’ If it’s your sword or your child, you grab the child.”</s>A major new find of Roman artefacts in the North East has been likened to winning the lottery by archaeologists.

Thousands of a objects have been discovered in a barracks beneath the fourth-century fort of Vindolanda, south of Hadrian ’s Wall near Hexham in Northumberland.

It is one of the site’s earliest barracks and dates from around 105AD, which is before Emperor Hadrian began the 73-mile defensive barrier in 122AD.

The find includes two extremely rare cavalry swords – one of them complete, still with its wooden scabbard, hilt and pommel – and two wooden toy swords. One has a gemstone in its pommel.

Other weapons, including cavalry lances, arrowheads and ballista bolts were also left behind on the barracks floor and their discovery has also generated a bit of a mystery for those at the dig.

Dr Andrew Birley, Director of Excavations at Vindolanda, said: “You can imagine the circumstances where you could conceive leaving one sword behind rare as it is…. but two?”

“Both blades came from separate rooms, and are likely to have belonged to different people.

“One theory is that the garrison was forced to leave in a hurry, and in their haste they left not only the swords but also a great number of other perfectly serviceable items which would have had great value in their time.”

The latest discoveries cap a momentous few weeks of discoveries at Vindolanda.

Test pit excavations, below the stone foundations of the last stone fortress revealed a layer of black, sweet smelling and perfectly preserved anaerobic, oxygen free, soils in an area where they were completely unexpected.

Hidden in this soil were the timber walls and floors, fences, pottery and animal bones, from the abandonment of a Roman cavalry barrack. The excavated rooms included stables for horses, living accommodation, ovens and fireplaces.

While excavating the material from the corner of one of the living rooms the tip of a thin and sharp iron blade was found resting in its wooden scabbard. Further work revealed the whole sword.

Dr Birley spoke of the “quite emotional” moment of the story.

He said: “You can work as an archaeologist your entire life on Roman military sites and, even at Vindolanda, we never expect or imagine to see such a rare and special object as this. It felt like the team had won a form of an archaeological lottery.”

A few weeks later a second sword was found, this time without a wooden handle, pommel or scabbard, but with the blade and tang still complete and sitting on the floor exactly where it had been left thousands of years before.

Dr Birley said: “You don’t expect to have this kind of experience twice in one month so this was both a delightful moment and a historical puzzle.”

In another room were two small wooden toy swords, almost exactly the same as those that can be purchased by tourists visiting the Roman Wall today.

Roman ink writing tablets on wood, bath clogs, leather shoes belonging to men, women and children, stylus pens, knives, combs, hairpins, brooches and a wide assortment of other weapons including cavalry lances, arrowheads and ballista bolts were all abandoned on the barrack room floors.

Spectacular copper-alloy cavalry and horse fitments for saddles, junction straps and harnesses which were also left behind remain in such fine condition that they still shine like gold and are almost completely free from corrosion.

Visitors to Vindolanda will be able to see this cache of cavalry finds displayed in the site museum this autumn.</s>When archaeologists lifted up a piece of concrete floor at a site near Hadrian's Wall, they never expected to discover one of the earliest Roman cavalry barracks and a treasure-trove of artefacts in a remarkable state of preservation.

A layer of black, sweet-smelling anaerobic soil led them to unearth eight rooms with stables for horses and living accommodation filled with extraordinary military and personal possessions left behind by cavalry men and their families 2,000 years ago.

Roman cavalry swords are extremely rare anywhere, but two were lying on the barrack floor.

One of them is so complete that it is still with its wooden scabbard, handle, hilt and pommel.

There are also two wooden swords – one with a gemstone decorating its pommel – which were clearly made as toys for the cavalry children.

Cavalry lances, arrowheads and ballista bolts are among other lethal weapons found, along with an incredible range of personal artefacts, such as combs, bath clogs, stylus pens, bone dice, hairpins and brooches.

Leather shoes include fine officers' examples, as well as those of women and children. There are also two letters written in black ink on wooden tablets.

They have been rushed into a conservation laboratory to ensure their survival. It will take about three months to conserve them. Archaeologists can take their time reading them once they're safe.

The barrack dates from AD105. It lies beneath the 4th-century stone Roman fort of Vindolanda, south of Hadrian's Wall, at Hexham, Northumberland.

It was not until AD122 that Emperor Hadrian began constructing his 73-mile defensive barrier, to guard the northwestern frontier of the province of Britain from barbarian invaders.

Dr Andrew Birley, who heads the archaeological team, likens such a discovery to winning an 'archaeological lottery': 'What's exciting is this incredible range of artefacts and everyday items.

'They're just remarkably well-preserved. There's a huge range of stuff - their hair combs, their pots, their wooden spoons, their bowls, their weapons, bits of armour, their cavalry bling.

'It's just all there on the floor. You name it, it's there. There's loads of stuff coming out.'

He adds: 'Even for us, it's very unusual to get things like complete Roman swords still surviving, sitting on the ground in their scabbards with their handles and their pommels on.

'We're slightly dumbfounded by that. Then to find another complete sword in another room next door only two metres away, two wooden swords and a host of other cavalry equipment… in beautiful condition is just terrific.'

The site was preserved because it has been beneath a concrete floor laid by the Romans about 30 years after the barrack was abandoned, shortly before 120AD. Successive barracks were constructed above it.

This is the south-eastern quadrant of the last stone fort. Material like wood, leather and textiles survived due to oxygen-free conditions created by that concrete layer. Such details would otherwise have rotted away.

Archaeologists happened to lift up a piece of the concrete while exploring the foundations of the surviving 4th-century stone fortress.

Excavating about 3.5 metres down, they found the earlier barrack's original timber walls and floors, fences, ovens and fireplaces.

They were part of a base that once housed more than 1,000 soldiers and probably many thousands more dependants, including slaves.

Birley says: 'I've been excavating for 24 years as an archaeologist and a lot of my colleagues for a lot longer than that and they would never expect to find a Roman cavalry sword in any context because it's like finding a modern-day soldier leaving his barrack and dumping his rifle on the floor. That's the equivalent. This is a very expensive thing so why leave them behind?'

A couple of feet long, they were 'super-thin', 'designed to slash somebody as you're riding past with a wickedly-sharp blade and a point'.

For a Roman to have left behind a complete sword is the ancient equivalent of a modern soldier abandoning their rifle, Birley says: 'Both blades came from separate rooms, are likely to have therefore belonged to different people.

'This is then a pattern and mystery which defies an easy explanation or answer. One theory is that the garrison was forced to leave in a hurry, and in their haste they left not only the swords but also a great number of other perfectly serviceable items which would have had great value in their time.'

He adds: 'This is the precursor to Hadrian coming to the UK to build his wall. This is the British rebellion.

'So you can imagine a scenario where the guys and girls at Vindolanda are told "we need to leave in a hurry and just take what you can carry". If it's your sword or your child, you grab the child.'

Other finds include copper alloy cavalry and horse fitments for saddles, junction straps and harnesses that are so well preserved, they still 'shine like gold', he says.

A beautiful bowl for crushing spices has a carved inscription inside its rim. There is pottery covered in graffiti.

Such pieces will offer clues to the identities of some of the people who lived in the barrack.Other finds include a beautiful bone stirrer, for making and mixing potions.

Birley says: 'It looks like a cocktail stick you get today with a spoon and three little holes drilled into it. There are lovely things like that.'

Making such a significant discovery at Vindolanda is all the more rewarding for him because his archaeologist father, Robin, headed the excavation that discovered the famous Vindolanda writing tablets in 1973.
Archaeologists discover a cache of Roman Britain-era artefacts, including weapons, at an ancient Roman cavalry barracks near Hadrian's Wall in northern England. Archaeologists liken the discovery to winning the lottery.