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We possess little written evidence for everyday life in the average fort or civilian settlement. Thankfully, a wealth of relevant information has been uncovered at one British site, the frontier fort of Vindolanda in Northumberland, just south of Hadrian\u2019s Wall<\/a>. Here, large numbers of army documents, relating to garrison life between the years 90-105 AD, have been recovered, preserved in waterlogged conditions. These are known as the \u2018Vindolanda tablets\u2019.<\/p>\n Much of the information is, as one may imagine, fairly monotonous, detailing lists of supplies and resources, but some provide tantalisingly rare insight into what life was like within the tight-knit community of an average frontier fort. One of the most interesting letters was written by one fort commander\u2019s wife, Claudia Severa, to another, Sulpicia Lepidina, and it provides a glimpse into the social lives of those at the very limits of the Roman empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cClaudia Severa to her Lepidina greetings. On 11 September, sister, for the day of the celebration of my birthday, I give you a warm invitation to make sure that you come to us, to make the day more enjoyable for me by your arrival, if you are present. Give my greetings to your Cerialis. My Aelius and my little son send him their greetings. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul.\u201d<\/p>\n Another, from Lepidina\u2019s husband Flavius Ceralis to Aelius Brocchus, Severa\u2019s husband, relates to the masculine pursuits of army officers: \u201cIf you love me, brother, I ask that you send me some hunting-nets.\u201d While an anonymous writer records more mundane concerns such as the sending of \u201cpairs of socks from Sattua, two pairs of sandals and two pairs of underpants\u201d.<\/p>\n