The Roman Army Roman Britain Hadrian’s Wall 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its mines of gold, silver, lead and tin Romans remained in Britain until around AD 410, when the last Roman troops were withdrawn from the province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 9th 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 re-assigned.

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.