Veni, vidi, visi! I came, I saw, I visited!

(short Eagle Eye 3D trailer)

(ten minute clip of the making of Eagle Eye 3D film)

I was over at Vindolanda today for my volunteer guide training day. We guides are now part of The Vindolanda Trust. We'll be guiding at weekends (twice a day at 10.45am and 2pm) from April until September. I wasn't sure what I was expecting of the newly renovated museums but I am more than suitably impressed! I am amazed by what they have created in these severe winter months....it is truly superb...

At Vindolanda, amongst other things, there is a special room to view, hear and read six of the famous writing tablets which have been returned to the museum from The British Museum. All the tablets have to be kept at a special controlled ambient temperature. The newly found Jupiter Dolichenus altars found in a very unusual temple within the fort are now on display. (Temples are never usually found in forts.)

The main museum (also known as Chesterholm) looks terrific. I'm still trying to take it all in. The items are all displayed to great effect. It is the finest Roman Collection in Britain. It is a research collection and all the items there are from Vindolanda (nowhere else). They are still putting the final touches to it so I'm dying to go back to see it all when it is finished.

The other museum, The Roman Army Museum, which stands on the hill overlooking our guest house here is absolutely, absolutely brilliant. It has been utterly transformed. I have to go back to look at it all again properly. There are fantastic displays where uniforms can be touched, you can try out being a Hamian archer...learn all about how a soldier existed as part of a contubernium (8 man tent), learn all about the entire Roman army formation within two minutes...see how the Roman Empire expands in front of your eyes...the building of Hadrian's Wall is displayed on a huge wall akin to Trajan's column...then  there is the marvellous 3D Eagle Eye film...which has good dollops of Latin thrown in for good measure e.g.:

Procedite! Proceed! Go forward!

Testudimen facite! Make a tortoise! (A Special Roman Army unit formation)

and much, much more...........

I urge you all to go and visit the museums this Saturday and onwards. They really are well, well, well worth a visit! I honestly haven't done justice to them here.

P.S.: Look out for a mention of it on Look North BBC1 this Friday Evening. The National Geographic Channel have also filmed a programme on the Vindolanda skeleton scheduled to be shown this September 2011.