Dear Vindolanda volunteers,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all for the 2009 excavation campaign from the Vindolanda staff, but especially from myself and Justin Blake (the Assistant Director of Excavations). We are delighted that Elizabeth Greene and Alexander Meyer will once again be able to join us for most of the season as archaeological site supervisors. The next few years will be very important to our understanding of the site, and it is hoped, will provide a great deal of data that will be useful to wider research on Hadrian's Wall. Every year, for the next four years, 500 places will be available between April and September to those of you who wish to join us working on this fantastic site in the beautiful rolling hills of rural Northumberland. We hope to welcome back many of you who have helped over the past few seasons and extend a warm welcome to those of you who are new to archaeology, Romans and perhaps the north of England. Vindolanda is part of the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall, and the excavations on the site are a place where people from all parts of the world, different cultural backgrounds and walks of life can find a common bond in their love for history.

Two excavation areas will be operating in tandem over the next four seasons, one inside the fort, the other in the vicus. The fort excavation team (under my supervision) will be working Sundays to Thursdays, the vicus excavation team (supervised by Justin Blake), Tuesdays to Saturdays. If you have any enquiries about the excavations please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Fiona Watson (excavation placement co-ordinator).

All my very best,

Andrew Birley
Director of Excavations
The Vindolanda Trust