1. The Roman Army Roman Britain Hadrian’s Wall
The Eagle
The Roman Army
Roman Britain
Hadrian’s Wall

3. 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

4. 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Romans remained in Britain until around AD 410, when the last Roman troops were withdrawn from the province

5. AD 43-AD 410
almost 370
years

6. 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.

7. Legio IX Hispana
(re-enactors)

8. 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

11. Roman Army facts
Size: varied throughout history, but about 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

12. 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 miles a day, carrying up to 70 pounds of gear

17. 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.