Legion: Life in the Roman Army - Review
By Owain Williams
When it comes to the Roman army, it is easy to fall into one of two camps. You can either treat the army as a monolithic entity and focus on its military conquests, or you can emphasise the lives of the legionaries themselves, often at the expense of other troops of the Roman empire. Legion: Life in the Roman Army, a new exhibition at the British Museum, seeks to explore the lives of the men, women, and children who were a part of life in or were impacted by the Roman army. To focus only on the military side of the army – an important side, undoubtedly – is to miss out on so much more!
With the letters of Claudius Terentianus, a Roman soldier who served under the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, providing a narrative framework, the exhibit follows the life of a Roman soldier, from enlisting to retirement. The narrative does not just follow Claudius Terentianus’ career, however, although it was an interesting one. He began as a marine, transferring to the legion, and possibly being involved in putting down the Jewish Revolt (or Kitos War) of AD 115–117. Rather, it studies the general life of the Roman army for its many different ranks and occupations, from auxiliaries and legionaries to cavalrymen and centurions, discussing training, war, and camp life. When looking at war and camp life, the exhibit also weaves in the story of the people who were much a part of army life but were not part of the army, such as soldiers’ concubines and slaves. A particularly striking display was the deed of sale of a 7-year-old boy called Abbas for 200 denarii.
Much of the exhibit was given over to such stories of life in the Roman army. The letters of Claudius Terentianus offered an incredibly personal insight into the life of an enlisted man. For example, he complains that he struggled to fit in with his fellow soldiers after he first joined the army. Similarly, he creates a picture of the Roman army as a dog-eat-dog world, rather than an honourable, meritocratic organisation. Claudius’ bedding was stolen by another soldier while he was sick, for instance, and in one letter he remarks that “nothing can be done without money”. Recordings of excerpts of Claudius Terentianus’ letters were played over the exhibit, and while they added greatly to the atmosphere, they were at times difficult to hear over the ambient sounds the exhibit also played. Unfortunately, I do not find it hard to imagine that they would be completely inaudible if the exhibit were busy.
Many of the objects on display contribute to the intimate nature of the exhibit. Many of the pieces were grave markers, which are, of course, very personal objects, but there were also smaller items that certainly belonged to individuals, such as the carpentry tools that a soldier buried in Herculaneum, possibly a marine who accompanied Pliny the Elder on a rescue mission during the eruption of Vesuvius, reunited with their owner for the first time.
The objects on display were discovered across the Roman empire, from Scotland to Syria, and many of them are currently housed in different museums even further afield. Some of the objects are on display in Britain for the first time, and some have never been displayed before, such as the remains of a skeleton thought to have been a victim of crucifixion that was discovered in 2021. For me, the highlights of the exhibit were objects on loan from other museums – the Dura Europos shield and a suit of cataphract horse armour also from Dura Europos, usually housed in Yale, and the Kalkriese armour, a near-complete suit of lorica segmentata discovered in 2018. Many Ancient Warfare readers will be familiar with most, if not all, the objects on display, but in Legion Life in the Roman Army they are gathered in one place, making the exhibit well worth a visit for those interested in the Roman army.
To make the exhibition accessible for a younger audience, the British Museum have partnered with the Horrible Histories series and have a number of interactive displays, such as a weighted sack representing a legionary’s pack that can be lifted, throughout the main exhibit. The Horrible Histories rat, Claudius Terrattus – not to be confused with Claudius Terentianus! – provides simpler explanations throughout.
I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit. The inclusion of such a wide variety of objects in a single coherent narrative really made for an engaging and memorable experience. For people who are unfamiliar with the Roman army, the exhibit offers a comprehensive introduction to the ancient army life. For people who are familiar with the Roman army, the collection of such a wide variety of objects that would not normally be together in a single exhibit is very satisfying to see.
6 comments
I LOVE SEEING THE GENUINE ARTICLES FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM. THANKS FOR SHOWING THEM! ALSO ANOTHER BIG FAN OF BOTH ANCIENT WARFARE AND ANCIENT HISTORY MAGS! WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO YOU OTHER READER I VOTE TO KEEP THE 2 MAGS SEPERATE AS WE GET TO READ & LEARN TWICE AS MUCH . i LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR ARRIVAL SO MUCH. IT IS TRUELY THE JIGHLIGHT OF MY MONTH.
I LOVE BOTH YOUR ANCIENT WARFARE & ANCIENT HISTORY VERY MUCH . IT’S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY MONTH AND I WOULD SAY KEEP THEM SEPARARTE BECAUSE THAT WAY WE GET TO READ & LEARN TWICE AS MUCH! THANKS A LOT FOR THE PHOTOS FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM EXHIBIT!
Can’t wait to go and see it. Only knew about this exhibit thanks to you guys
I am a known fan of your publications.
“Ancient Warfare”, however, should be merged with “Ancient History”, as it was a part of it, not an independent effort…
There is, a copy is with Murray Dahm, the assistant editor, for review.
Is there a book that comes with this exhibit?
Great read and very informative!