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The latest season of digging at Magna Roman Fort is currently uncovering further details of how the site was used both during and after the Roman period. One of the star finds for 2026 so far is a die which was discovered at the end of July. Made of animal bone with pips formed of two concentric circles (above), it is almost identical to another example recently found by a metal-detectorist in Buckinghamshire (see here).
This is now the fourth season of excavations at Magna, an auxiliary fort on Hadrian’s Wall located approximately 7 miles (10km) west of Vindolanda and a stone’s throw from Milecastle 46. The ongoing project is being run by the Vindolanda Trust with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (see CA 402 and CA 426). This year, one of the main focuses of excavation has been the praetorium, or commanding officer’s house (below).
Almost the whole footprint of the complex has now been revealed, demonstrating that it was remodelled at least four times during the Roman and post-Roman periods. A number of rooms have been identified so far, including a kitchen and impressive private baths with a hypocaust. This latter system appears to have been adapted for the wet climate of northern Britain, with drains added into the bottoms of some of the heating flues to prevent the penetration of rain and groundwater. Drains have not been found in the hypocaust of the pre-Hadrianic bathhouse at nearby Vindolanda so, the team hypothesise, the Roman builders might have been learning from experience how to construct typical Roman-style features to suit the Northumbrian environment. More evidence has emerged to show that this area of the site continued to be used and altered in the post-Roman period when a wall was contructed around the praetorium, potentially creating a smaller defensive settlement.
Among this year’s small finds, the die mentioned above is a highlight among other important items. It is the first of its kind to be discovered at Magna, and was found in antiquarian backfill near the furnaces of the praetorium baths, adding to a number of gaming counters that have been recently uncovered in the surrounding area. Interestingly, earlier in the season a piece of worked antler that may have been used to make a die was discovered, while the 2025 excavations produced a cow scapula with evidence that gaming counters had been carved from it, suggesting that such pieces may have been made at Magna.
As excavations are set to continue for another few weeks, more finds are still waiting to be uncovered.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Images: The Vindolanda Trust
