The Vindolanda Timepiece: Time and Calendar Reckoning in Roman Britain

In 2008 a fragment of a time‐reckoning device was found at Vindolanda. This fragment has been interpreted as part of an anaphoric water clock. There are important differences between this fragment and other objects thought to come from anaphoric water clocks. This article seeks to reinterpret the fragment in terms of a broader array of Roman time‐reckoning tools than anaphoric water clocks and also in terms of the archaeological context of Vindolanda in which the fragment was found. The emphasis on cultural context in interpreting this fragment reveals much about the temporal consciousness of its possible users and maker.