Professor Sterling's Memoirs: Relics of Rome ✨ Bedtime Story For Sleep

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Sleep Wave. Your host, Carissa here, to whisk you off to sleep with a soothing, sleepy story. First though, if you've been listening regularly and finding you are sleeping better than ever, we'd love to invite you to become a subscriber. Subscribers get extra benefits that can truly support your sleep. Learn more below your podcast player.

[00:00:33] In tonight's cozy story, we join archaeologist Professor James Sterling as he visits a picturesque village in Scotland and uncovers a treasure trove of Roman relics in the most unlikeliest of places. Before we begin, our only ad break which helps make this show possible. To listen ad-free, follow the link in the show notes.

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[00:02:25] Professor James Sterling paused and took a moment of quiet contemplation. Resting his hands on the podium before him, he surveyed his attentive audience, who sat comfortably within a cozy lecture hall in Edinburgh University.

[00:02:42] Noticing a student had raised her hand, he nodded and gave her his full attention as she asked about his recent archaeological find, a rare discovery, that had made the news at the time. Her question brought a smile to his face, and the tanned skin around his brown eyes crinkled in amusement. That's an excellent question. Thank you for asking it, the professor said.

[00:03:11] His eyes glazed over slightly as he recalled the sights and sounds of the dig, and wistfully relayed how with the help of his team, he'd located the buried artifact. As he spoke, he absentmindedly ran his hand through his wavy dark hair, revealing a peppering of silver at his temples.

[00:03:36] Even though the professor's lecture had officially ended 20 minutes ago, he continued answering every question put forth from the eager students, who seemed just as enamored by the prospect of revealing the hidden secrets and wonders of the past as he was.

[00:03:55] They didn't even mind his clumsy jokes, although there was the occasional groan at some of his worst quips, which the professor accepted good-naturedly. The questions finally petered out, and the professor warmly thanked the students and staff for making him feel so welcome.

[00:04:18] He pointed to a clipboard at the side of the room, and said if anyone wished to be considered for a place on his team in the future, they should put their details down. The student who'd asked the opening question was the first to leave her seat and move towards the clipboard.

[00:04:40] As the hall began to empty, James started to pack his notes into his battered backpack, which he'd had for years, but which he could never quite bring himself to part with. It had been patched up so many times that there was barely any of the original material left. An auburn-haired woman approached him, looking a little apprehensive. Professor Sterling, hello.

[00:05:11] We've been emailing each other. I'm Kathy Burnett. Yes, of course. I've been expecting you. He moved closer and extended his hand. Her hand was warm in his. I'm intrigued at what you've discovered. Your emails have been enigmatic, to say the least. She broke into a smile, causing dimples to appear on her lightly freckled face. I didn't want to say too much in case I was wrong.

[00:05:40] Are you sure you have time to come with me? My car's outside if you'd like to go there now. James confirmed he already cleared the rest of his day, so he was free to leave immediately. Before they left, he wanted to extend another thank you to the people who'd organized his visit. He told Kathy it would only take a minute. But it took more than a minute because some of the staff had books of his,

[00:06:09] and they said they would love it if he would sign them. The professor didn't hesitate to do so, and took a few moments to speak to each person as he autographed their books. Once all the books had been signed, James and Kathy left the university and headed towards the car park. The professor took the opportunity to ask about Kathy's work.

[00:06:37] In her first email, she'd mentioned she was a walking tour guide. She had included a link to her website, and being the inquisitive type, he had clicked on the link. He'd been impressed with the variety of tours she offered and the glowing testimonials she'd received. He told her that as they walked along.

[00:07:02] Kathy blushed at his words and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She said, It's easy to be enthusiastic about your job when you love it so much. I've been to a few of your lectures in Oxford, and I know you feel the same way about your work, Professor Sterling. Please call me James. Professor Sterling sounds so stuffy. They reached Kathy's car,

[00:07:30] and she insisted on putting his precious backpack safely in the boot. A few minutes later, they drove away from the beautiful city of Edinburgh and towards the coast. On the way, James spotted a signpost at the side of the road. He remarked on it. Cromond? I've never been there, but I know colleagues who have. Does your find have anything to do with the history of the place?

[00:07:59] Kathy cast him a glance and confirmed it did. He asked further questions, but the only response he got from Kathy was silence and an enigmatic smile. James turned the conversation to Kathy's job once more and asked her what her favorite walks were and why. Kathy's face lit up as she spoke about the splendor of Edinburgh City

[00:08:27] and the spectacular countryside which surrounded it. The city was steeped in rich history, which never failed to captivate the tourists she spoke to on her tours. James became entranced by the radiant glow on her face, and his look lingered a little longer than was polite.

[00:08:53] It wasn't long before they arrived at the picturesque seaside village of Cromond. Dozens of white houses stood on the wharf looking out to sea. Small sailing boats bobbed gently on the blue horizon. James got out of the car and lifted his head to feel the warmth of the sun on his face.

[00:09:18] A breeze brought the unmistakable salty tang of the sea his way. Kathy retrieved his backpack from the boot and then took him to a cozy cafe. Once inside, they had an amiable argument about who would buy the coffee and cake. Kathy won the discussion by reminding James he was her guest.

[00:09:45] James laughed and gracefully admitted defeat. Over their refreshments, Kathy asked him what he knew about Cromond. The professor said he was aware of the settlement sites that had been discovered, dating back to around 8500 BC. He gave her a studied look. I suspect you haven't brought me here for that.

[00:10:15] One of my colleagues came here a few years ago, and he told me something about a Roman fort. I can't recall the full details now, but I wonder if your find has anything to do with the Romans. Her ready smile gave the answer away.

[00:10:36] She told him Cromond had been chosen by the Romans as the ideal place to construct a military fort, and it turned out to be the largest one in Scotland. But despite its perfect location, the Romans hadn't stayed more than 40 years in total before abandoning the area

[00:11:03] and leaving for warmer climes further south. She abruptly stopped talking and apologized for boring him with one of her favorite topics. You haven't bored me in the slightest, James replied. I'm just as fascinated with the Romans as you are. Now, when are you going to show me this elusive artifact?

[00:11:35] Kathy said it would be better if she showed him where she had found it first, and then explained she'd have to check the tide times before they set off. James wondered what the tide had to do with anything, but then he remembered something interesting his colleague had told him about this village.

[00:12:02] James looked out of the cafe window and towards the small island which lay a short distance away. It was accessible via a raised causeway, which could only be crossed at low tide. They left the cafe and walked alongside the river Almond and towards the exposed causeway.

[00:12:34] Tall pylons rose at the side of it like guardians on duty. Kathy said they had an hour before the tide came in again. The walk to the island was a pleasant one, and James took in the sweeping views of the sea and the wide expanse of open sky.

[00:13:05] Their talk returned to the Romans and those who had made this area their home all those years ago. James wondered how the young soldiers must have felt as they stood at their posts on a Scottish evening and looked at this landscape, a vista which had changed little over the years.

[00:13:34] The sea lapped gently on either side of the causeway, the shadows cast by the tall pylons danced across the water. Kathy asked if he knew about the lioness statue, which had been found in the river Almond,

[00:14:01] and how it was from Roman times. He didn't know the story and asked her to tell him more. She moved a little closer so that he could hear her better and then told him how a ferryman called Robert Graham had spotted the sandstone statue in the mud at the mouth of the river in 1997.

[00:14:30] When it was pulled free, everyone was amazed at the immense size of the figure and how well-preserved it was. She said, It's on display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. It's worth a visit to see how detailed the carving is.

[00:15:05] James said he would like that very much. They reached the end of the path and walked onto the island. Kathy took the lead and directed James towards a small wooded area in the middle of the island. The sun cast its rays through the branches of the trees,

[00:15:35] causing dappled shadows to flicker across the grass. He came to a stop next to one of the largest trees. She pointed to the ground and explained it was the exact spot where she'd found the item. It had been quite by accident.

[00:16:03] And whilst she would have liked to say it was some inner instinct which had led her there, it was the tripping over a fallen branch which had led to the discovery. She'd been on her phone at the time and after tumbling forward, her phone had flown through the air

[00:16:30] and landed in the undergrowth. She took something from her bag and said, It was whilst I was searching for my phone that I found this.

[00:16:52] James looked at the small piece of thin wood which had been placed inside a protective bag. His eyes widened in surprise and he found himself at a loss for words. He gently held the bag up and slowly turned it around.

[00:17:20] He finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. It can't be. It just can't. That's what I thought, Kathy said. But what else could it be? And think about the history of the place. It makes sense.

[00:17:48] They stared in silence at the item which was no bigger than a postcard. Kathy put her hand on his arm. Is it a Roman tablet? Like the ones found at Vindalanda? James said it could be. He told Kathy he'd been fascinated by them

[00:18:14] since their discovery had been made public in 1973. He had visited the Roman fort of Vindalanda soon after and been amazed at how well preserved the tablets were. He got lost in a description of the items and how they'd been accidentally discovered during routine excavation work.

[00:18:43] He stopped talking when he saw the bemused expression on her face. He shook his head. I'm telling you something you already know. I apologize. Have you seen any of the translations? They're fascinating. I have, Kathy replied. I think my favorite letter is the one from a soldier who asked for more beer to be sent

[00:19:12] because supplies were running low. James smiled. Me too. I liked the one from a soldier who reprimanded a friend for not writing as much as he should do. They fell into an animated discussion about the tablets and how they'd been used by the Romans to correspond with each other, not just in the fort,

[00:19:42] but to the other settlements along the nearby Hadrian's Wall and even to places further away like York, Caterick, and London. Letters contained military information such as work assignments, troop numbers, letters of recommendation for promotion, and requests for leave.

[00:20:11] In addition to the military correspondence, letters had been written by families of the soldiers along with people who lived and worked in Vindalanda, including the keeper of the bathhouse, a shoemaker, construction workers, and doctors. The professor gave the artifact in his hand a closer look

[00:20:43] where it came from and if it's part of the Vindalanda tablets, perhaps a soldier from there came to this island for a work assignment or for a holiday. He was so lost in his musings that he didn't realize Kathy had moved away from his side until he heard a shuffling noise.

[00:21:11] When he looked to his left, he saw Kathy kneeling next to the undergrowth and pushing shrubs to one side. When he asked what she was doing, she said, there could be more letters. She stopped moving. Her eyes went wide. I shouldn't be doing this. I'm interfering

[00:21:40] in what could be an important archaeological find. James considered the matter of more letters for a few seconds before deciding it wouldn't hurt to have a cursory glance. Just in case there were any more, he went over to her side and placed his backpack on the ground.

[00:22:10] He took a leather-zipped case out and opened it. Inside were a variety of tools, including small brushes, trowels, sieves, and lollipop sticks. He told Kathy he never went anywhere without his portable toolkit. He handed her

[00:22:39] a trowel. Then together, they began to scoop the soil away to allow them to examine the area in more detail. The professor and his companion were soon fully absorbed in their quest and didn't notice the passing of the day. The afternoon

[00:23:09] drew to a close and the sun sank lower. They were covered in mind, but neither of them minded. A while later, Kathy sat back on her heels and stared at the ground in front of her. In a whisper, she called James to her side. Silently,

[00:23:38] she pointed at the sliver of wood which was now visible. Her eyebrows raised in question. James slowly nodded, like ballet dancers performing an intricate move. Kathy cautiously got to her feet and stepped backward. James moved forward

[00:24:08] and took her place. He began to take photos of the item, which, upon closer inspection, did appear to be another Roman relic. With Kathy's help, he assembled a makeshift canopy over the area, using things from his toolkit. James wasn't sure how the item

[00:24:37] was in such a well-preserved state, but they would find the answer to that in due time. Using his brushes, the professor cleared away some of the soil from the tablet and a faint symbol on the top right-hand side soon became visible. In a careful and measured manner, James extracted

[00:25:07] the wood and placed it inside a bag. He took photos of it and added some of the one which Kathy had found. After texting a colleague, he was given the name of an expert who had translated some of the Vindolanda tablets. James sent the photos to her with a polite

[00:25:37] request for possible information on the items. After a short discussion, James and Kathy decided to carry on searching the area and it wasn't long before more pieces of thin wood were under James didn't want to disturb the ground any further and placed

[00:26:07] a second protective sheet over the area before cordoning it off using some tape from his backpack. phoned one of her council contacts and told them what had happened. She asked if visitors could be kept away from the island to protect the site.

[00:26:37] James smiled as he heard the excited reply from the other person on the line. Following confirmation from James took a

[00:27:06] last look at the ground before walking away and heading back. They didn't get the chance to return to the mainland because the tide had come in. Kathy shook her head. I've never been

[00:27:38] I guess we'll have to wait it out. James professed he couldn't imagine a more beautiful setting to while away the hour. Feeling concerned for Kathy's welfare, he asked if there was anyone she needed to contact to let them know she'd be late home. Her eyes softened as she looked at him and

[00:28:15] she couldn't think of a better way to while they walked over to and gazed out just like you and your toolkit I never

[00:28:46] see supplies they have a flask of hot tea in my bag and some short bread made to my grandmother's recipe would you like some James said he would and thanked Kathy for her

[00:29:23] and the fortifying tea was strong the companionable silence took in the delightful scenery the only sounds being the cries of soaring seagulls and the waves lapping upon the shore

[00:29:55] after a while they began to talk again and discussed how the roman letters could have made their way onto the island Kathy's theory was that a disgruntled roman postman could have dropped them in a small act of rebellion James thought that

[00:30:24] was as good a maybe the letters were from roman visitors who had spent time in Krammond and had become enchanted by its ethereal beauty which they'd expressed in words to their families they were written by the

[00:30:54] soldiers who'd been stationed there they pictured a roman soldier staring out at the same view as them pondering his future in a new country about the sunny climes of Rome and its endlessly hot

[00:31:24] day had he fallen under the spell of Scotland and the beauty of the mountainous terrain the bewitching locks and the bracing winds which made you feel glad to be alive and James

[00:31:52] once more settled into a comfortable silence they looked out to sea and became lost in the tranquility of the gently undulating water captivated them too to