A CANADIAN student made a lasting impression when she took part in excavations at Vindolanda Roman Fort near Bardon Mill this week.

For Mel Benard unearthed a tile with a partial imprint of a child’s foot, which is believed to be around 2,000 years old.

It’s believed a young boy or girl had quite literally put their foot in it, by accidentally, or even mischievously stepping onto the freshly-made tile before the mixture had set.

Thousands of tiles have been discovered at the historic site over the years, including some with the imprints of animals. But this is the first bearing a human footprint.

Mel, who is digging at Vindolanda with a Canadian field school from the University of Western Ontario, said: “This was the first artefact that I had found.

“I knew straight away that it was a footprint and it is so exciting to have discovered something which links you directly to that individual nearly 2,000 years later.”

Co-director of the university field school, Dr Elizabeth Greene, said: “This find is really extraordinary.

“The footprint highlights that archaeology has the potential to illuminate the lives of otherwise voiceless individuals from antiquity.”

Dr Alexander Meyer, who brings the field school to Vindolanda each year, said: “I imagine the boy or girl who stepped in this newly produced tile was in more than a little trouble.

“Vindolanda is a fascinating place, and we are very fortunate to be able to bring our students here so that they can play their part in piecing the jigsaw of the past back together and further the understanding of an ancient civilisation on this northern outpost.”

Once the tile has been fully researched and conserved, it will go on public display within the Vindolanda museum.

This year’s excavations at Vindolanda continue until September 25. Weekly updates are published on the Vindolanda Trust’s Facebook and Twitter pages.