A small piece of bone has opened a window onto daily life at a Roman fort in Northumberland.
Archaeologists have unearthed a bone gaming die during excavations at Magna Roman Fort, the first of its kind found at the site.
The die was discovered beside the furnaces of the praetorium bathhouse during Period 8 excavations. The Magna Excavations are part of a five-year project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Excavator Sue Mingay, who made the find, said: “When I saw it, and the shape of it, I hoped it would be a die.
“When I looked more closely, I was over the moon to see how delicate the markings were.”
Susan Galloway of The Vindolanda Trust said the object offered “an immediate connection” to how people at Magna spent their leisure time nearly 2,000 years ago.
“Holding something so familiar, yet so ancient, really brings that human story of Magna to life,” she said.
Galloway, communications manager for The Vindolanda Trust, which manages the site, said the find had made a big impact on social media.
“It’s easy to see why this little bone die has captured so many people’s imaginations.
“It is a wonderfully relatable object, almost everyone will have rolled a die while playing a game, so there’s an immediate connection to the people who lived at Magna nearly 2,000 years ago.
“Now we need to find the game board!”
Excavators at the site have previously unearthed 4th century paving stones and remains of a Hadrianic hypocaust system, a form of underfloor heating used in the commander’s private bathhouse.
Other finds have included a copper alloy Roman belt buckle and spearhead.
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