Excavations of Roman Britain

I’ve just returned from a trip to the north of England, where I saw some of the evidence of Britain’s Roman past…

Here is Hadrian’s wall – built by Hadrian to indicate the border of the Roman empire:

Here is a bath at Vindolanda, where archaeological excavations are still in full swing:

This is a grain-storage building at Housesteads, a major Roman fort along Hadrian’s wall:

And finally, here are the (ancient) public toilets at Housesteads – these are not as good as the ancient toilets at Beth She’an, but they still recall a marvellous time in history when relieving oneself was a communal affair… the soldiers would sit around the edges and engage in intelligent conversation while holding a sponge on a stick, ready to give themselves a well-aimed scrub at the appropriate time…