LEGION: life in the Roman Army. A review. (An exhibition at The British Museum)

 

Head of Emperor Augustus, the creator of the career soldier. 27-25BC.

The British Museum has a new exhibition about the Roman Army. It is the first time they have had an exhibition specifically about the Roman Army. They do have a series of permanent Roman rooms that explore different aspects of life in Roman Britain.  The exhibition runs from the 1st February to 23rd June 2024.

As soon as I saw it advertised on a link on my phone I knew I had to go and see it.  As a school boy of 8 years of age I became enthused by all things Roman. It was not just the history lessons we had ,they could sometimes be a bit dry, it was the books we were given to read. USBORNE is a children’s publisher that have been producing colourful and vivid history books for children for generations. I remember reading and becoming immersed not just in the text of their ,”Romans In Britain,” books  but the illustrations of Roman soldiers clad in armour, wearing plumes in their helmets, carrying shields and spears marching into battle were mesmerising. There were pictures of various battle formations involving the coordinated use of their tall oblong shields. The “Testudo,”using shields to create a tortoise shape so they were protected from above and the sides seemed the most clever  of them all. I could vividly imagine it all and even imagined being there and  taking part. There were the detailed pictures of road building, camp building and fort life to examine and absorb too. I also read ,”Eagle of The Ninth,”by Rosemary Sutcliffe about the same time. I loved reading but that book completely drew me in. I think I read it entirely over three days. I couldn’t put it down.

When I was 9 years old an aunt of mine lived in Dorchester and sometimes I would spend summer holidays with her. She would take me to visit the Roman Town House on the edge of Dorchester. Just the foundations appeared above the ground. We stood in the middle of Malmsbury Ring also in Dorchester. It was reputed to have been a Roman amphitheatre where I imagined gladiators fighting to the death. But the most exciting place was Maiden Castle. A hill fort with massive earth ramparts that surrounded a whole hill. The Romans had attacked the hill fort with ballista and other techniques they developed and defeated the Iron Age inhabitants protected within. I remember my aunt pointing out a very straight country road that stretched into the distance and she telling me it was a Roman road. I was completely seduced by the Romans. Something that inspires you at such a young age is bound to stay with you for life. Hearing about the British Museum exhibition did indeed send shivers down my spine. I am now old. Childhood experiences are profound and lasting it seems.

The remains of the Roman Temple situated on the Iron Age Hill Fort, Maiden Castle near Dorchester Dorset

Those USBORNE history books gave you some facts and also portrayed the Roman soldier picturesquely in all his regalia and explained the different levels of the Roman Army, legionnaire,  auxiliary, standard bearer, trumpet blower, cavalryman, centurion. They showed him building roads and going into battle heroically. What those books didn’t make clear and this exhibition does, through the first hand voices of real legionnaires and auxiliaries by way of their letters home, how cruel, and backbreaking their lives could be.  From their letters we learn about their hopes and ambitions, the mundane and ordinary and the underhand acts of stealing and cheating. The punishments meted out, for sometimes minor misdemeanours, were cruel. 

When we walked into the exhibition the first thing that we were presented with was a large life like bronze bust with eerily white eyeballs with dark pupils set within the bronze head. This is a young, first Emperor Augustus 27BC to 14AD who decided to form the army into a professional organisation. Soldiers became lifelong career soldiers under his reign. To the left of the entrance was an information board introducing us to Terentianus  a second century AD soldier. The letters of Apion and Terentianus  are one of the important themes in the exhibition that show us the lives of real legionaries. Apion’s letters cover the start of his career . Terantianus’s letters extend over the whole of his career. They both came from Egypt . Apion was not a citizen and so could only join the auxiliaries, a lower paid and less well-equipped part of the army. In fact he started as a marine the lowest of the low. Terentianus was a citizen but although he at first began his career as an auxiliary he moved to the legions because of his status as a citizen. Apion hoped to complete his career and as a reward would have been given citizenship and all its benefits  not just for himself but his family and their descendants. Terantianus’s father must have achieved citizenship so passing it on to his son. It was of course a risky endeavour. Only 50% survived to retirement. It was not just taking part in a  battle but also disease that could cause death. Many, however thought it was worth striving for and taking the chance. Terantanius  who already had citizenship, would get a very lucrative pension package if he survived to retirement and the pension package would increase if he was able to advance up the career ladder. The army provided social progress and in many ways was a machine for creating citizens as well as ther means to expand the emire. Hundreds of brass plaques exist with words etched into them giving citizenship to retiring soldiers. There were estimated to be over 300,000 soldiers, both legionaries and auxiliaries, at the height of the Empire which governed 60 million people.

A letter written on papyrus by Apion a marine in the Roman fleet staioned in the Bay of Naples to his father in Egypt. 2nd century AD.

There are a lot of details about life in the Roman army that was new to me. Somebody who could read and write, such as Apion and Terantianus, were more able to move up the career ladder. The aim was to achieve being a centurion. It was however not just ability that  could get you there. If you had money you could pay for advancement. If your father had been a centurion you would automatically get preferential treatment.

There was theft among soldiers. Many soldiers were put together who came from different parts of the Empire. Some were from tribes that had been enemies and often they didn’t speak the same language. Mistrust was built in in some cases. Punishments were severe. If you were dishonourably discharged it meant death. Punishments were severe even for minor infringements. One carved stone relief shows a centurion whipping a soldier who has got out of step while on a march. Crucifixion was the ultimate cruel and barbaric form of execution.

The career ladder was similar in both the legions and the auxiliaries although the levels of pay were different. A legionnaire would aim to become a centurion if he was able but along the way he could become a cavalryman if he had a horse which role paid more. A standard bearer especially the standard bearer who carried the legions Eagle would have more prestige and a better income. The bottom of the ladder was becoming a marine They did much of the heavy work such as building roads and fighting at sea and were the least well paid.

There are clear diagrams displayed depicting maps of the Roman Empire at its largest. One diagram shows how a legion, of usually about 5000 soldiers ,was structured. Each legion was virtually an army in itself.

The structure of a Roman Legion.

The most amazing treasures are of course the papyrus letters written by Terantianus and Apion and other legionnaires and the tablets fromVindolanda. Often the climate of Egypt for instance has ensured their survival.  The Vindolanda wooden tablets found in the peaty soil of the north of England also provide intimate details about life in a Roman frontier fort. Apion writes to his father after making a tortuous journey to the Roman fleet in the bay of Naples that he has arrived safely and is well and happy. The start of his career as a marine was a lowly rank but he does not hint at that. He obviously wants to put his father’s mind at rest. The wooden tablets from Vindolanda, their messages scratched into the wooden surface that originally would have had a layer of wax covering them, reveal, shopping lists, chat between friends, invitations to parties, life as it really was. We get into the minds of the Romans and its amazing to find that 2000 years ago they were in many ways just like us.

A letter written by Terantianus to his father . 2nd century AD.

A warning is displayed before you come into the exhibition that there are human remains on display. The British Museum and all museums in this country show great respect for human remains. Skeletons of Roman soldiers in the exhibition,add to our knowledge and reveal a lot more about being a soldier in the legions. One skeleton comes from Herculaneum and was found near the sea front. Perhaps he had been policing people evacuating from the city during the Eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. He was discovered with all his equipment, sword, belt and other tools. 

Two Roman soldiers found hurriedly buried in Canterbury. Possibly they were murdered by locals. 

Another skeleton shows evidence for crucifixion. A nail protrudes from its right heel bone. He had suffered the ultimate punishment. This reveals another side to being a legionary. Legionnaires were those who meted out the punishments but theywere often also the receivers of punishment. It was the legionnaires  job to punish those who broke Roman law. Two more skeletons of legionaries found together in Canterbury,  shows evidence that they had been murdered. Their bodies had been hurriedly buried, thrown together without any obvious ceremony in a shallow grave. Often the local population hated the strict rule of the Romans and the tough brutal treatment by legionaries and sometimes they fought back. 

  There are a number of tomb stones of legionaries with inscriptions informing us of their name and other biographical details. A tombstone cost a lot of money to have made. Legionaries could supplement their pay by selling captives they had taken in battle and making  more than their salaries. Although a legionary could not marry they often had slave wives that they bought. There are some tombstones commemorating wives. The care and effort and cost of these stones show that perhaps many of these relationships were loving.

Leather tent sections.

 Vindolanda, the Roman outpost fort near Hadrian’s Wall has been extensively excavated. Excavations at Vindolanda, have revealed that often Roman outpost forts had settlements  grow up and develop near them providing all sorts of services. These settlements often became the beginnings of small towns. The exhibition shows us life not just on a frontier fort such as Vindolanda but about,” Tent,” life, life on the march. There are some examples of leather tent roof sections. The soldiers themselves had to pay for their tents. What surprised me was that to get any kit of quality the soldiers had to buy or obtain it themselves. Terantanius in one letter home asks his father to send him a large battle sword. I had always thought tents and weapons were provided. 

Body armour found in the Teutoborg Forest (Germany). There is evdience that the armour was not removed from the body.

There are many amazing items on display that all tell their own story. Helmets and swords, and a whole set of body armour from the Teutoborg Forest, in Germany,  a disaster where three legions were  destroyed by Germanic tribes. Other examples of body armour found at Corbridge, England are on display. There are examples of  pilum spear heads and an amazing example of a shield. It is the only complete Roman shield that remains. It is made of leather on a wooden frame. It has warped into a more curled shape but it shows the size and rough shape of a Roman Legionnaires battle shield. I could imagine it being used to create a shield wall and also a ,”Testudo.” A central metal boss, that would have been placed in its centre, is displayed to one side. This was for striking an enemy at close quarters. 

Roman helmet.

There are examples of Roman legionaries hob nailed sandals. They looked very flimsy to me. Terentianus wrote home to his father asking  for some socks to wear inside his sandals which he complained lasted only two weeks before he had to replace them. Footwear  was an extremely important item in a legionnaires equipment. His feet had to remain injury free for all the marching and heavy labour he had to do. 

Roman military sandals.

There was also a red sock on display similar to the one Terantanius requested in a letter to his father. It’s amazing how leather and woollen items can survive so long. The conditions for their survival obviously need to be right.

A sock to wear with the sandals. Terantianus asked for a pair of socks in one of his letters to his father.

Exhibitions like this have to appeal to all ages. The main target of the exhibition is partly aimed at the interested adult but children are given as much focus. I explained at the start of this post that as a child I had been enthused about the Romans by the brilliantly illustrated and clearly explained USBORNE history books. Nowadays there is a new approach to enthusing children and  I must say adults too are as enthralled by, The Horrible Histories. These were a series of books originally written by Terry Deary and published by Scholastic. The Horrible Histories have branched out into  TV series, films, board games, boxsets and magazines. The concept has covered all bases and now Museums have taken it on. This Exhibition has a subplot. Instead of Terantanius revealing to us the lives of Roman legionaries we also have , “Ratus,”the Horrible Histories Roman character.  A Horrible Histories themed trail has been designed with many colourful  illustrations that include interactive family stations along the way. They have a knack of using black humour to explain the facts. Nothing is out of bounds but it is done at the child’s level and children love the basic and gruesome  personal tuff. .It is a fun way to learn about the life of the Roman soldier. I must admit, because my wife and I did not have any of our granddaughters with us, we did not try any of the interactive displays. I would have loved to have tried on a Roman helmet or spun the wheel of chance to find out what would have happened to me in battle. 

This exhibition is trying its best to appeal to adults and children and does a very good job. But I think it misses a few targets.  The exhibition book by Richard Abdy , who is the curator of the exhibition, targets those who want more. But this exhibition could also come with talks and discussions by academics and experts, outside of the exhibition. QR codes that could be scanned using phones within the exhibit could add more depth of information too. I wonder if there are any teenagers who might be inspired to take up a history degree or archaeological degree at university because of this exhibition? How could they access links to further education? At the other end of the age range I wonder how younger children, younger than those targeted by Horrible Histories could be engaged? 

Ratus, the Horrible Histories character the exhibtion used to appeal to children.

At the end of my teaching career after I had retired from fulltime teaching I was asked to take some infants classes. I had never taught that age range before. I wasn’t sure about how to go about it. I took my lead from the experienced classroom assistant. We set out a theme for the children each day. One day it might be construction;  bricks, Lego, card , paper and scissors with glue were put on the tables. What could they make? The Romans were great architects and builders.   Also story telling and getting the children to interact with the story was so important . Stories about Roman soldiers? Dressing up as Romans,? This exhibition does some of that. Being given an artefact in their hands to  explore? What is it? Who would use it? What is it made of? Can you use it? Can you draw it? These are things the museum could get younger children involved in.

This is a fantastic exhibition. I certainly feel that I learned a lot and felt more connected with what it meant to be a Roman legionary. Parallels with the world today can always be made. Maybe that is what understanding the past does for us. It helps us understand today.