HEXHAM, ENGLAND—BBC News reports that well-preserved documents written in ink on wafer-thin pieces of wood have been discovered at Vindolanda, a Roman fort located near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. The documents, which are about the size of a modern postcard, include letters, lists, and personal correspondence, and are thought to have been discarded toward the end of the first century A.D. Some of the writing was protected in the damp soil by the backs of adjoining wooden pages. In one letter, a man named Masclus, known from other documents discovered at Vindolanda, applied for leave, or commeatus. Once the tablets have been conserved, they will undergo infrared photography and the texts will be translated. To read in-depth about the forts of Hadrian's Wall, go to "The Wall at the End of the Empire."
