Dear fellow Vindolanda excavators,

The Vindolanda Trust is pleased by the response that the website is getting from those of you who are putting so much effort into up-dating what is going on during the excavations. The teams of people that have come through so far this season have been excellent, and I would like to thank them for their effort, dedication and hard work. Please keep posting, you comments are greatly valued, as are your group photo's and discussions of the trenches.

But please be careful about what you post, either in pic format or in finds lists. At Vindolanda we want to keep the monument safe from those who would be irresponsible enough to attempt to use it illegally. I would request that we do not post pictures of finds on the website such as coins or brooches. As you know, we allow pictures of finds that you have personally found to be taken by you as a personal memento, but we don't want to encourage vandals (modern variety) to come romping in at 4am with a metal detector in an attempt to illegally work the site. Invariably they find nothing but the huge spread of iron pan, or many of the millions of nails on site (not to mention that Roman coins from Vindolanda have very little monetary value), but by being there they can punch holes into sensitive archaeological deposits that are not metal orientated in their nature, rummaging for a nail could destroy a Roman shoe, or worse, a writing tablet. Also, it is dangerous wandering around an excavation that is flooded during the night, and the grounds man does like to shoot the rabbits at night to boot.

It is a huge shame that we have to be so careful, but it would be irresponsible for us not to be. The security of the site of Vindolanda is my number one priority, and I know that you all care passionately about that as well. So without spoiling any of the fun, think about your posts carefully. It would be with great regret that I might have to email Harry and request any form of censorship to any posts on this site, so don’t put me in a position that makes this a reality.

Best to you all,

Andy

Director of Excavations
The Vindolanda Trust