Vindolanda 2012 day two

Usual assortment of weather, jackets, T-shirts, rain suits all seen on site.  Mostly decent weather until the last 90 min. when showers called an early halt to the digging.

Some interesting lower levels being reached, areas where preservation of organic materials is rather impressive.  Here is a slab of wood tossed into a ditch by a Roman in the 3rd century AD:

Lots of bones too, they look like the left overs from last weeks cookout.

Among the more intriguing finds were some Roman bricks.  Three more or less intact ones found, all with some kind of marking on them.  One was just some sketchy lines, but check these out:

On the bottom edge is a sort of free hand script.  Or rather half of it.  It must have covered two bricks and been seperated when the wet clay was cut before firing.  A name, a motto.  "Finest Brick from Vulcanus Kilns" perhaps?  We will likely never know.

And another specimen.  Look closely:

See the indents on the top corner of the brick?  There seemed to be four depressions that were either finger marks or animal tracks.  The former seems more likely.

Weather permitting more digs tomorrow.