Ancient Romans Put Their Faith in Guardian Spirits. Archaeologists Just Found a Rare 1,600-Year-Old Carving of One in Northern England

Known as a “genius,” the protective spirit or deity was believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to a particular person, household or place. Archaeologists haven’t found many depictions of them across Roman Britain

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

July 14, 2026 7:45 a.m.

A man holding a figurine of a person — Archaeologist Andrew Birley found the relief carving while excavating a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda, a Roman fort near Hadrian's Wall in northern England. The Vindolanda Trust

Archaeologist Andrew Birley was excavating a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda, a Roman fort in northern England, last month when a flagstone caught his eye. The area he was investigating was littered with similar stones, but this particular one was slightly rounded and positioned on its edge.

“I gave it a bit of a pull, and this beautiful little carving came out perfectly preserved,” he tells the Telegraph’s Dalya Alberge. “What a lovely moment.”

At first, Birley had no idea what he’d unearthed. But after consulting with other scholars, he realized that he’d stumbled upon a rare depiction of a Roman genius, a protective spirit or deity believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to a person, household or place.

Once Birley knew what the carving was, the discovery “somehow felt entirely appropriate,” he says in a statement from the Vindolanda Trust, the charity that manages the fort. “It was almost as though Vindolanda itself had reached out to the team and quietly said, ‘We approve of what you are doing.’”

Did you know? Mysterious Roman footwear

At Magna, another Roman fort located near Hadrian’s Wall, archaeologists have repeatedly found unusually large shoes made from thick cowhide leather and iron hobnails. They have no idea why the footwear at Magna, also known as Carvoran, is so massive, as most shoes discovered at Roman forts in northern England have been normal in size.

The Romans viewed genii (the plural form of the word) as “a sort of guardian angel, a higher self,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. This specimen appears to have been deliberately buried beneath a barrack floor at Vindolanda, which operated as a northern frontier outpost between roughly 85 C.E. and the ninth century. The fort is near Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile-long stone fortification that once marked the northwest boundary of the Roman Empire.

The figurine is the first of its kind discovered at the fort, where excavations have been underway since the 1830s. The discovery offers new insights into the religious beliefs of the soldiers and families who lived at Vindolanda.

Birley discovered the genius on June 16. Since then, archaeologists have been conserving the sculpture in preparation for public display at the fort’s museum.

A carved figure of a person — Carved from sandstone, the specimen was likely repurposed as construction material. The Vindolanda Trust

References to genii are relatively common in ancient literature, suggesting that the worship of these symbolic guardians was widespread among Romans living in Britain. But archaeologists don’t often find the specimens themselves, making this a significant discovery.

“There are not many from Roman Britain,” Birley tells the Telegraph. “But each one is lovely because a genius represents a spirit of place.”

The sculpture, which was carved out of sandstone, measures about 17 inches tall by 9 inches wide; the stone is a little more than 3 inches thick. In one hand, the figure holds a cornucopia, a horn of plenty overflowing with food that symbolizes abundance and prosperity. In the other, it holds a patera, a shallow dish used in ritual offerings.

Archaeologists think that the 1,600-year-old relief was once part of a larger domestic shrine. It was later repurposed as construction material. They suspect that the genius was created by a local artist, either a mason at Vindolanda or a nearby sculptor. That also “gives it more of a sense of place,” Birley tells the Telegraph.

“That’s really what we’re looking for as archaeologists—that connection with the real people who lived there,” he adds.

Though genii are uncommon finds in Roman Britain, archaeologists have previously unearthed other examples. They found one specimen in 1933 while excavating the niche of a building in the settlement outside Housesteads, a Roman fort flanked by Hadrian’s Wall. The relief carving, which dates to between 225 and 250 C.E., depicts three hooded gods wrapped in thick cloaks believed to help protect them against the cold winds of northern England, according to English Heritage. They’re known as genii cuculatti, or “hooded spirits.”

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