The Real Letters from Roman Soldiers

They were written on wooden tablets in ink made with charcoal and tree sap. When they were discovered, they the oldest handwritten texts ever found. All of them come from Vindolanda, a Roman fort right by Hadrian’s Wall.

They were preserved in anaerobic bog-like conditions, so what you’re about to hear are real Roman soldiers from the 1st to 2nd century AD, nearly 2,000 years ago.