Vindolanda: The Missing Dead

‘The Missing Dead’ is a new educational app to be played at Roman Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall. The app was developed in partnership between Newcastle University and the Vindolanda Trust and funded by the Arts Council England. It is a 2D narrative game which sees the player visit different buildings on the site and pick up clues to help solve an 1800-year-old mystery.

Based on archaeological evidence excavated from the site, including the remains of the child skeleton, the game takes the player back in time from that archaeological discovery in 2010 to c. 230CE to try to solve the mystery. Guided by Aquila the Eagle the player will learn about what life would have been like at Vindolanda in the 3rd century AD by exploring the diverse community that lived there. Users follow Marcus, a Tribune at the nearby Roman Fort of Magna (next to the Roman Army Museum), who receives a request from his friend Vitalis to help him find his missing slave.

The app is aimed at Key Stage 2 students (7-11-year olds) but can be enjoyed by any age. It deals with difficult, real-life subject matter, but handles this material with sensitivity: students learn about their past in a way designed to make them ask their own questions and to piece together the clues and information they are given to help them solve the mysteries, just like a real archaeologist! At the end of the game there is also an opportunity to go to the museum and to see the objects that appear as evidence in the game. They can also see the skeleton and discover for themselves how archaeologists have used the information available to learn as much as possible about its past.