Greenhead Roman Army Museum

If you want to find out about life in the Roman Army on
Hadrian's Wall then you would visit the Roman Army Museum at Greenhead.

Did you know ?

  • A soldier joined the army for 25 years
  • Soldiers were not allowed to marry but kept an unofficial family in the vicus outside the fort walls
  • Money would be kept back from a soldier's pay to provide for savings, his uniform, food and the burial club
  • Auxiliary soldiers were recruited from conquered lands
  • When training soldiers marched 30k a week, drilled once or twice a day and were taught to swim, ride and throw stones with a sling
  • There were 15, 000 soldiers stationed on the Wall
  • Almost all of the history of the Wall is one of peace
  • The Wall was only overrun 3 times in its history
  • Bath houses for soldiers were normally built outside fort walls because of the risk of fire (fires were used to heat the water in the baths)
  • Soldiers would be fined for losing or damaging equipment
  • The soldiers lived in cramped conditions, 8 men to each barrack-room
  • In the 4th century soldiers were allowed to live in the           vicus at Housesteads

True or False

Bath houses were built outside the walls of the fort
because people complained about smelly soldiers.

A letter from a soldier at
Vindolanda …. "The Britons are unprotected by armour. They are very many cavalry. The cavalry do not use swords, nor do the wretched Britons take up fixed positions in order to throw javelins."

A soldier joined the army for 25 years.

The Wall was never successfully attacked.

Soldiers had private rooms in their barracks.

A broken sword would be replaced free of charge.

CLICK here to find out more about swords

INFORMATION

A Roman soldier's weapons were a short sword for stabbing, and a throwing spear called a pilum.

He wore armor made from overlapping iron bands and a metal helmet on his head.

He also carried a large rectangular shield which curved around his body.

A pilum was made with sharp iron points and softer metal shafts behind. When the spear hit an enemy's shield it bent making it very difficult to pull out. The spear shaft would drag on the ground and trip up the enemy who would then have to throw his shield away.

TASK

Using the information and illustrations on this page design a poster about life in the Roman army.

You should use PUBLISHER on the school network to do this.