Magna Fort find: Roman Terracotta Head
A rare terracotta head, dating from the 3rd Century AD, is the centrepiece discovery recently made by archaeologists and volunteers excavating the Magna Roman Fort site in Northumberland.
Experts say the finding sheds new light on religious practice and local craft on Rome’s northern frontier. The discovery was made as part of a major five-year project funded with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
‘It’s incredibly exciting that the team at Magna have uncovered this rare find during one of their excavations,’ says Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
‘This discovery builds on our understanding of the Roman heritage of the area and it’s fantastic news that this find will go on display to spark curiosity and inspiration for visitors to the site.’
‘The project has been made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, and I’m sure that many of them will be thrilled to know that they’ve played a role in this discovery.’
The terracotta head was revealed during excavations of the fort’s northern defences – by volunteers Rinske de Kok and Hilda Gribbin.
The orange terracotta head depicts a female figure with a centrally parted, four-strand plaited hairstyle. The piece is broken below the nose and appears crudely made – with notably asymmetrical eyes.
‘It appears to me that this has been a practice piece by an inexpert hand… the eyes do not match at all, and the ears are very weird,’ says Lindsay Allason-Jones, a specialist in Roman artefacts.
‘That leads me to presume it was made on site as no-one would have bothered to transport this very far or paid good money for it!’
The Magna Terracotta Head. Image: © The Vindolanda Trust
‘They are clearly meant to depict the same figure’
Lindsay says terracotta face pots are common in Roman Britain but adds that free-standing heads are rare. A second, more accomplished, terracotta head was found at the Magna site in the 19th century.
The earlier example was donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1982. It’s now held in the Great North Museum: Hancock.
It preserves a fuller head and bust and shares striking similarities with the new find, including the distinctive hairstyle and facial features.
‘There are clear similarities between the two heads from Magna, they are clearly meant to depict the same figure,’ says Rachel Frame, Senior Archaeologist at Magna.
‘My current hypothesis is that the 2025 find is a locally made copy of the earlier example, which may itself have been imported. The woman depicted was clearly important to the people living at Magna.’
Terracotta busts such as these are widely interpreted as votive objects, used in religious contexts. While common elsewhere in the Roman world, they are unusual finds in Britain.
‘It was wonderful to see this newly uncovered terracotta head from Magna,’ says Malavika Anderson, Museum Manager at the Great North Museum: Hancock.
‘Linking it to an artefact held in our stores demonstrates the importance of safeguarding collections for future research and the new stories they can still reveal.’
Terracota heads reunited. Image: © The Vindolanda Trust
‘Enabled the Magna project to be realised’
The identity of the woman remains unknown, though possibilities include an imperial figure or a goddess. Researchers are now inviting further comparisons from across the Roman world.
‘The newly discovered terracotta head will go on display at the Roman Army Museum as part of a recent finds display along with some of the other highlights of the project so far,’ says Barbara Birley, The Vindolanda Trust’s Curator.
These include leather shoes, a silver ring, bone hairpins, glass beads and a Venus pipe clay figurine.
‘We are grateful to have the support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, who have enabled the Magna project to be realised and shared with the wider public.’
‘There is still so much more to discover about the people who lived at this Roman fort and we look forward to seeing what else is uncovered in the last two years of the project.’
Breaktime News recently reported on the incredible insight which experts gained into the daily life at the Magna Roman Fort following a discovery of thousands of artefacts.
