Rare 1,600-Year-Old Roman Genius Carving Unearthed at Vindolanda

On June 16, archaeologist Andrew Birley unearthed a unique sandstone relief of a Roman genius, a guardian spirit, while working on a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda, a fort located near Hadrian's Wall in northern England. Measuring 17 by 9 inches and approximately 3 inches thick, the carving features a figure with a cornucopia and a patera. This is the first instance of such a carving discovered at the site, which has seen excavations since the 1830s. Initially part of a domestic shrine, it was later used as building material and intentionally buried under the barrack floor. The Vindolanda Trust plans to preserve the sculpture for exhibition at the fort's museum, shedding light on the spiritual practices of its inhabitants from around 85 C.E. to the ninth century. While references to genii are prevalent in ancient texts, physical examples are scarce in Roman Britain; a similar piece was found in 1933 at Housesteads fort.