The Eagle The Roman Army Roman Britain Hadrians

The Eagle The Roman Army Roman Britain Hadrian’s Wall

Roman Britain (Britannia) • Julius Caesar led the first Roman invasions of Britain in 55 BC and 54 BC • Britain was inhabited by the native Britons, who were Celtic

Roman Britain (Britannia) • Britain was officially invaded and conquered by Rome in AD 43, during the reign of the emperor Claudius. • Britain was important to Rome for its mines of gold, silver, lead and tin • Romans remained in Britain until around AD 410, when the last Roman troops were withdrawn from the province

AD 43 -AD 410 almost 370 years

The “Lost Legion” • Legio IX Hispana (The 9 th Spanish Legion) • Served in Britain and other Roman provinces • Thought to have “disappeared” in Scotland around AD 117, but most scholars now think it was just reassigned.

Legio IX Hispana (re-enactors)

Hadrian’s Wall • Begun by the Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD • Stretched 73 miles across northern Britain, from coast to coast • Served as the northern boundary of Rome’s territory in Britain • Contained mile castles, watchtowers and “super forts” along its length

Roman Army facts • Size: varied throughout history, but about 25 -35 legions of 5, 000 men each. • Legions were divided into groups of 80 men called “centuries; ” each century was headed up by a “centurion. ” • Soldiers in the legions were Roman citizens • Soldiers in the auxiliary units (cavalry, archers, etc. ) were non-citizens

Roman Army facts • Men served for 25 -year terms. Auxiliary members could gain Roman citizenship after their 25 years. • Soldiers performed many functions • military duty such as patrolling, fighting, training, etc. • construction projects such as roads, forts, bridges, even cities (colonies)! • Soldiers could march from 15 -20 miles a day, carrying up to 70 pounds of gear

Roman Army facts • Mithraism was a very popular religion among Roman soldiers. Its followers worshiped the Eastern god Mithras. (You will see Marcus performing Mithraic rites in the movie. ) • Many sites of Roman forts are now towns. In England, towns that end in –chester (from the Latin “castra” for “camp”) were originally Roman forts: Manchester, Colchester, Winchester, etc. • Londinium (London) was also a major Roman town and administrative center of Britannia.