A major new find of Roman artefacts in the North East has been likened to winning the lottery by archaeologists. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 were part of a base that once housed more than 1,000 soldiers and probably many thousands more dependants, including slaves. 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. “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. 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. 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. 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. 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. “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. 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. 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, just take what you can carry.’ If it’s your sword or your child, you grab the child.”
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.