This on-line edition is fully indexed and searchable. Here's some guidance:
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If you already know the number of the inscription from RIB, or tablet from the Vindolanda or Bloomberg Tablets, you could Search by number. Numbers in volume I (1-2400), volume II (2401-2504), volume III (3001-3550) have all now been digitised, albeit those from Volume II are still in provisional form awaiting final publication. Similarly, inscriptions published for the first time in the annual 'Roman Britain in …' reports in the journal Britannia (through volume 54) have also been digitised.
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The search functionality currently searches the texts of each inscription, as well as its English translation and all associated metadata. The filtering function can help to narrow the number of search results. An advanced search interface is also available allowing for more targeted and fine-grained search queries and gives the user significantly more control over search results. Click the Advanced Search button above to access this interface.
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Enter the search term you are interested in, e.g., Mithras, Vindolanda, or Caracalla.
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Searching is case-insensitive. This means searching for IMPERATOR will return exactly the same results as imperator.
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Boolean searches are supported. If you want to see inscriptions that mention Mars or Cocidius, enter Mars OR Cocidius. Likewise, if you want to see inscriptions that mention Mars and Cocidius, enter Mars AND Cocidius. You must use capital letters for OR or AND - otherwise the search engine will interpret or (or and) as a search term.
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Wild card searching is supported. E.g., searching for Sul* will return results including Suleviae, Sulinus, Sulis, Sulpicius, etc.
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Searches for phrases consisting of more than one word should be enclosed within double quotation marks. E.g., searching for "Old Carlisle" will return results containing the phrase "Old Carlisle", but omit inscriptions containing only Old and only Carlisle.
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After you receive your first set of search results, you will have the option to apply further filtering criteria.
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Note that all Latin words have been lemmatised. This means searching for 'cohors' will return inscriptions containing cohors, cohortis, etc.
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Dates: Given the inherent difficulty in dating inscriptions, most have not been assigned a particular date or range of dates any more specific than those of the traditionally recognized Romano-British era (a.d. 43-410). This means that queries for a certain range of dates will be over-inclusive,
since all undated inscriptions will necessarily fall within any range specified. To avoid this, a checkbox labeled "Included undated inscriptions" has been added to the Date Range filter panel, which is not ticked by default. If you wish search for all inscriptions that may possibly fall within the
date range specified, dated or undated, simply tick this box.