This exciting talk with historian Alan Bowman explores the oldest handwritten documents from Northern Europe. Join us at the Musée Dräi Eechelen on Wednesday, 6 May, from 18:30 to 20:00. Free entry!
The Vindolanda tablets are among Britain’s and Northern Europe’s oldest surviving handwritten documents, offering unparalleled insights into life of Roman Britain, including the earliest known birthday party invitation written by a woman. Discovered in 1973 at the Roman fort of Vindolanda, they have transformed our understanding of the early Roman occupation of Britain and (military) life in Northern Europe.
Professor Emeritus Alan Bowman explores the challenges of deciphering and interpreting the tablets and reveals how they illuminate the social and economic lives of soldiers and their families—with a focus on units recruited from the Lower Rhine region.
Alan Bowman, Professor emeritus is a historian of the Roman empire with particular research interests in the documentary evidence from Egypt and northern Britain. Positions he has held include tutor in Ancient History at Christ Church, University of Oxford, Camden Professor of Ancient History and Principal of Brasenose College, President of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, Vice-President (Humanities) of the British Academy (elected Fellow in 1994).
Conference organised by the INRA, in collaboration with the MNAHA, the Oxford University Society of Luxembourg, the University of Luxembourg, and Archeolux.
