Roman Britain

Ink on a wooden tablet brings an individual act of writing into a room of Roman objects. The Vindolanda tablets came from a military community in northern Britain. One displayed letter preserves both written text and an address on surviving wooden fragments. The room also contains mosaics, wall painting, glass and metalwork. Goods and people moved between Britain and other parts of the empire, including continental Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Local lives developed within those connections. Selected objects from the Hoxne and Thetford hoards add precious materials to the picture. The Hoxne silver tigress was once a handle on a larger vessel. Its small body rewards a closer look at the engraved stripes. Move between such a costly fitting and an everyday written message to see different kinds of evidence for life in Roman Britain.