Do you ever find yourself clicking on a top 10 list on social media? You probably clicked it because you already know a good bit about that particular topic. You really do not need to read it, but you just want to see if the list writer got it right. When the writer gets it wrong, it gives you fodder for complaints that you promptly express to other readers and commenters on that list. When the list-writer gets it right, it is sheer perfection, to be shared and re-shared with like-minded groups and fans. That is what Birley and Greene’s new book on Vindolanda feels like. They got it so right, and it is not just 10, but 50 amazing objects to obsess over.

For over 50 years now, the multi-layered archaeological site of Vindolanda, an ancient Roman fort and town just south of Hadrian’s Wall, has yielded countless stunning artefacts from the daily lives of soldiers and their families living on the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. These objects have stories to tell about the people who made them, used them, lived with them, loved them, and discarded them. Many of these objects have the marks of their makers still on them, making the items come alive with imagined stories of their owners’ lives. On every page, the book contains clear, colour photographs of the artefacts and detailed descriptions of their size, archaeological period, significance, and location of discovery. Although the authors include a helpful bibliography, an index listing all the objects and their corresponding pages would have been useful as well. However, since the book is slender, paging through it to find a particular object is not an onerous task.

The authors could have organized the book as a simple list, but they rightly give it more structure by dividing the objects into groups of related artefacts that allow the reader a more nuanced understanding of them. In addition, they break up dense material that could have been a long introduction into tiny essays that introduce each chapter. A brilliant decision!

Chapter 1 focusses on the fort, the army, and its soldiers, spotlighting a leather marching boot, a slinger’s finger guard, sling pouch, bullets, and even a sword. But the most notable item from this chapter is a wooden writing tablet that states the size of the population at Vindolanda, an invaluable tool in studying the ancient fort.

Chapter 2 spotlights women and children who lived at the fort. It features the famous birthday party invitation, a wooden tablet written in part by a Roman woman named Claudia Severa. Her handwriting at the bottom of the tablet, easily distinguished from that of her secretary, is a poignant reminder that archaeological objects belonged to actual people. Also included in this chapter are a strikingly modern-looking leather sandal, marked with a maker’s stamp, and a pair of children’s shoes. Although Vindolanda is well known for its leather shoe collection (thousands have been found), matching pairs are rare.

Chapter 3 is all about religion and worship in the military community. In a lengthier introduction to this chapter, the authors describe the worship traditions of Roman and auxiliary soldiers, introducing all the votive objects featured in this chapter including a tiny votive foot made of jet, a portable altar, and a Priapus statue.

Chapter 4 details objects related to dress, adornment, and the body: a gorgeous aqua glass bead with a yellow wave pattern found just recently in 2022, a carved wooden comb in its original leather carrying case, and a moss hair wig.

Chapter 5, addressing economy, trade, and industry on the frontier, contains the most objects, including the astounding wooden leatherworking bench of a craftsman named Atto whose name was carved into it along with the marks of a circular leather punch.

Chapter 6 discusses recreation and leisure. The Romans of ancient Britain loved the warmth of the baths, so the discovery of a wooden toilet seat should not be shocking, but it is just so amazing. Also featured are some wooden bath clogs worn by bathers to keep their feet from getting burned on tile floors heated by hypocausts.

Chapter 7 features the famous Vindolanda Tablets, called Britain’s top archaeological treasure, in a chapter on the power of words and writing. Fans of epigraphy will love this chapter featuring Latin on the well-known wooden tablets, plus tombstones, stone altars, jewellery, and even a clepsydra.

Last, Chapter 8 talks about animals in the fort and community. It features a highly ornate horse chamfron (a ceremonial horse mask) made of leather and gold as well as other items that picture a dog, horse, duck, and leopard.

I have only one caveat about this book for teachers of children. The book discusses a wooden phallus on p.31, found in a ditch, and a statue of Priapus on p. 30. This item references (with a picture and text) the famous Priapus fresco from Pompeii in which the god weighs his phallus on a scale. To sum up, that’s three phalloi in that one section. Because of these images (as well as the phallus on a gravestone on p. 73), I will not be able to leave this beautiful book on my classroom bookshelf. Although I will use it in other ways, these images and their descriptions make it inappropriate free-reading material for young students. The authors may want to consider a safe-for-work (SFW) version of the book.

Overall, this book is a must-have list of objects that make Vindolanda famous in an easily digestible and fun format. It begs the question of this reviewer and Vindolanda super-fan: What’s your favourite? Although it is hard to choose just one, the leather toy mouse, complete with tiny cuts representing fur (p.91), sums up the wonder of Vindolanda. Found in a collection of off-cuts (scraps) of a leatherworker, it nearly begs its viewers to ask, “Who made me? Why? What for? Whom did I belong to?” The magical power of these objects sparkles in this lovely little book.