Military Life Workshop Notes
Themes to tie in – uniforms, cooking, trade, defence/control (military uniforms/garb, tactics),
trade/local relationships (Roman medallion), settlement (cookware – samian bowl, scent bags and
black burnished ware)
Discuss everyday life of a Roman soldier – highlighting cooking/food (ref. samian bowl) and
trade/local relationships (Roman medallion – explain its significance and local importance) before
moving onto military life – armour, weapons, tactics. Show maps of Antonine Wall, images of sites
Antonine Wall: The Antonine Wall was a significant boundary on the frontier between the Roman
Empire and Scotland, or as the Romans called it, Caledonia. The Wall was built over 1,800 years ago
(142 AD), under the order of Emperor Antoninus Pius who wanted to extend the previous border of
Hadrian’s Wall and reconquer Scotland. The Roman Empire was vast – stretching from West
Dunbartonshire to Egypt to the Black Sea (show map of Roman Empire). The northernmost point of
the Roman Empire was set in Old Kilpatrick (show map of wall). The Antonine Wall, was built of turf
(grass and soil) over stone with a wooden palisade in contrast to the stone-built Hadrian’s Wall to
the south, and stood 4 meters high. Along the wall, the Romans built forts, a defensive ditch, and
“fortlets” to accommodate the thousands of soldiers at the wall, as well as well as a military way (or
road) to transport troops, supplies and information. All those involved in constructing the wall, from
surveyors to labourers, marked their accomplishments with triumphant “distance slabs” (include
picture, Hunterian) which also displayed praise for the emperor and show that the emperor was in
good favour with the gods. Many of the sites along the wall can still be visited and seen today, such
as the bathhouse at Bearsden – where a statue of the goddess Fortuna and a border of a sculpture
were found and can be seen in our exhibition. All along the wall, traces of Roman soldiers dot the
landscape – from remnants of pottery and daggers to lamps and distance slabs from all across the
Roman Empire.
Food: The soldiers along the wall would have come from throughout the Roman Empire, while those
from modern day Britain, fighting for the Romans would have been sent away from the front lines in
Scotland to serve elsewhere. Many of the Romans along the fort would have come from as far away
as modern day Spain or France to Africa and the Middle East, and most were from outside of Italy.
The soldiers brought spices over to flavour their food in Scotland – mint, coriander, thyme (scent
bags) which were ground up and added to meat (pass around). The food of the local people of
Scotland would have been unfamiliar and the spices would have given a taste of home. Samianware
was the name for valuable, quality tableware used by the Romans, made of clay with a red gloss,
often decorated with animals/plants/figures (see the decoration of ostrich and monkey on Samian
bowl on display: from London, very old site, near Roman temples), the pottery also helps to date
Roman sites, often found in pieces called sherds. Samianware came from another part of the Roman
Empire (modern day France) and was often decorated, making it an expensive type of pottery,
owned mostly by officers. The vast majority of soldiers would have used the more common and less
expensive black burnished ware, for their cooking and meals and we can see an incredible amount
of pieces of this pottery all along the wall. A good site showing and providing recipes for food:
http://romanrecruit.weebly.com/food.html
Questions: Why do you think the Roman soldiers would bring food from home? Because it was
familiar? What foods would you take to another country? Do you recognize the spices in the bags?
What other spices might they have brought? Can you see the decoration on the samian bowl – what
is it? Can you think of a modern day version of the black burnished ware? (paper plates, McDonalds
wrappers).
Medallion/Local Group Connections: Roman coins were used in paying armies but they also
displayed the victories of an emperor as they were used throughout the empire. Coins would have
seemed unfamiliar to those in Scotland, because they had a different system of trade. As a result,
medallions, which were larger, thicker and heavier than coins were used in establishing relationships
between the emperor and local rulers. The Roman medallion on display was found in the nearby
town of Cardross near the Antonine Wall, at an Iron Age hillfort, minted between 193-197 AD. The
medallion may have been given to a local chief from Caledonia to win their loyalty towards the
Roman Empire, since it was found at the site of a hillfort. However, it also could have been owned by
a Roman soldier who fought with the emperor on the coin – Clodius Albinus. Medallions were
specially minted by the emperor and would have been a significant gift to the local people or a
soldier who had fought beside him. In addition to images of emperors, coins often had gods and
goddesses and important symbols on them – this copper alloy Roman medallion may have Minerva,
the war goddess but also symbolic of peace, holding an olive branch and a spear and shield – can
you see her on the coin? (Consider getting a cast/replica of the roman medallion on display or of
another medallion, to pass around https://www.coinreplicas.com/roman-emperor-trajan-103-111ad-solid-bronze-medallion)
Other Medallions and Symbols: different materials – copper, bronze, silver, gold
Emperor looks a certain way on medallion – wants to be portrayed as tough, strong, intimidating
Symbol on reverse: Concordia holding legionary standards – symbolizes harmony between the
emperor and the army
This medallion is similar to the one on display, shows Clodius Albinus, with Minerva on the reverse.
Questions: Look at the Roman medallion on display; can you see any figure or lettering? Why has
the medallion become so difficult to read or see? Why would an emperor want his face throughout
the empire? Do we have anything that is similar to medallions today? (medals?) Do you think the
medallion belonged to a soldier or a local chief? If you were emperor, what would your medallion
look like? For comparison, can you find in the exhibit any evidence of Viking trade? (weights) Why
did they use weights?/what for?
Weapons/Armour: For the Romans, combat was an essential part of everyday life. Citizens of the
empire could become soldiers from the age of 20, but they could not retire until after 25 years of
service. These soldiers, called Legionaries, were skilled fighters as well as engineers and craftsmen.
Not all Roman soldiers were citizens like the Legionaries, and these troops were called Auxiliaries,
often guarding forts and walls, but also fighting. There were also different types of soldiers – most
fought on foot as infantry and some fought on horseback as cavalry to pursue fleeing enemies.
Infantry soldiers wore belted tunics beneath metal breast plate armour, a helmet with a plate to
protect the neck on the ground, sandals with nailed soles (and sometimes socks!) and they fought
with a roman sword called a gladius. Their shields were long, rectangular and curved to protect the
whole body.
In contrast to the infantry, auxiliary soldiers of the cavalry wore chain mail over a belted tunic
instead of plate armour and did not have a back plate on their helmet, because it could hurt them if
they fell off their horse. They also carried flat oval shields and spears in contrast to legionary infantry
soldiers.
Onagers (latin) were giant catapults that fired flaming rocks and ballistas (latin) were large
crossbows, showing the range of weaponry used by the Roman army. This replica shows what the
Romans wore into battle and the weapons they fought with. The chain mail of the cavalry was very
heavy, trained to swim in it, but could easily move in it. Discuss the different parts of the outfit. At
the start of training, soldiers had to march 18 miles on a regular basis in full armour and they had to
be able to march 20 miles (half the distance of the entire Antonine Wall) in under 5 hours. Soldiers
did not just fight; they also built roads and forts and trained for battle.
Questions: Do you think this soldier is one of the infantry legionaries or auxiliary cavalry? How can
you tell? Can you imagine how heavy the armour would be? Do you think you could move easily in
it? What are the advantages of the armour? What are the disadvantages? It’s about 20 miles from
Glasgow to Falkirk; can you imagine walking that in full armour like the soldiers would have to in less
than 5 hours. What else do you think soldiers had to carry? (food supplies, water, stakes, shovel,
basket)
The shield was a central piece to a Roman soldier’s outfit and it provided both defensive and
offensive options in battle.
Roman Activity: make a Roman shield
Materials:
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Rectangular pieces of cardboard (2 ft. by 1 ft.)
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Rectangular pieces of red paper (2 ft. by 1 ft.)
Strips of cardboard (for handles)
Blank white paper
markers (red, yellow, black)
Paint brushes
Paint (red, green, yellow/gold, black)
Newspaper (for table)
Styrofoam balls (halved)
Aluminium foil
Templates/design ideas (see symbols)
Pre-printed symbol templates to be coloured in?
Tape
Glue (stick and or regular glue)
Scissors
Construction (paint or no paint):
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Curve cardboard
Glue red construction paper onto cardboard
Draw and colour in (paint or markers) and cut out symbols from white paper
Glue symbols onto shield
Tape Styrofoam to centre of shield
Tape foil over Styrofoam
Tape handle to back of shield
OR
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Curve cardboard
Draw on symbols with black marker
Paint shield red, leaving symbols blank
Paint symbols accordingly
Tape Styrofoam to centre of shield
Tape foil over Styrofoam
Tape handle to back of shield
Allow paint to dry
Symbols to choose from:
Eagle’s wings: symbol for the Roman army
Lightning bolts: Jupiter, king of the gods
Scorpions: appeared on the shields of the emperor’s bodyguards (Praetorian Guard)
one of the emperors who founded the guard was born under scorpio
Legion Number: usually in the rectangles on the left and right sides (XXIV, III, XIII, etc.)
Wreath: symbolizes victory
Discussion: there were many kinds of Roman shields but during the invasion of Britain (starting in 43
AD) they became rectangular and curved (see Roman soldier mannequin in exhibit); crafted with
wood and glue, leather and linen, reinforced for strength, note: not many scutums have been found.
Discuss how to hold the shield like a Roman – arm straight, holding grip behind metal boss, discuss
military tactics, possible advantages of the shape and style of shield. The shield showed the legion
the soldier belonged to. Did we make a shield for a legionary or an auxiliary cavalry soldier? How
can you tell? (legionaries) Ask what other symbols they might use in their group of friends?
(common interests, etc.)
Legionaries: name for Roman soldiers who were professional, infantry, Roman citizens under 45
Scutum: name for a Roman shield
Metal boss: hemisphere made of iron, surrounded by an iron plate, sometimes decorated, used
tactically to push enemies off balance (offense as well as defence)
Bronze decorated shield
boss from Britain
Testudo (tortoise): defensive shield formation where soldiers hold their shields above and at all
sides, so they are completely surrounded
Why? Protection from arrows, while attacking city walls
Orb: another defensive tactic formation called the orb used in desperate situations, where small
group would form into a circle, shields facing outwards. It helped that the shields were long and
curved, covered the soldiers well.
Questions – why the style, size and shape? Why those materials? Why did they use the symbols they
used?
Differences: shapes, size, style, fit the fighting style/tactics of each
Questions What social status do you think the warrior on the right is? Was he wealthy or of high
status? What about the Roman soldier on the left? Why were religious/mythological symbols
important in battle? Who do you think would win in a fight? How do the Vikings fight? How do the
Romans fight?
Follow Up Activities/Trips:
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Try the testudo and orb formations with new shields!
Decorate/paint the boss of your shield – pictures, mythology, etc.
Make a roman board game and play (see instructions for making the board and playing the
game)
Bathhouse in Bearsden (statue of Fortuna, border fragment were discovered there) discuss
other types of objects found in bathhouses
(http://www.antoninewall.org/system/files/documents/HS%20%20Bathtime%20Worksheet%20AW.pdf)
Golden Hill – Duntocher Fort and Fortlet (not visible), base of the Antonine Wall, Roman
bridge
Maps/Images to show/reference (make larger, print out)
Roman Bathhouse –
Bearsden rcahms.gov.uk
Follow Up Activity: Make/Play a Roman Board Game – take home instructions
One activity that happened in the baths and camps of Roman soldiers was a board game called Ludus
Latrunculi (see Ludus Latrunculi game counters on display in exhibit). These are glass and pottery game
counters used in the game, which translated, means “the game of little robbers”. The game is also a strategic
war game, showing how important developing military tactics and strategy was throughout the Roman Empire.
Pieces from the game have been found at sites across Europe and also within burials - made of metal, ivory,
stone, glass, even coins.
Materials:
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Large square piece of paper/cardboard (for game board)
Small circular cardboard pieces (32) - or use coins, checker pieces
Construction:
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Draw lines for board with ruler (or fold paper to get lines) – 8 by 8 even squares
Colour half of the pieces a different colour (16 light, 16 dark)
Place each colour of pieces in 2 rows on each side (like checkers)
Rules/Instructions:
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Players take turns, moving one piece at a time
Pieces can only be moved vertically or horizontally
Each player tries to capture their opponent’s pieces
A piece is captured when it is surrounded on 2 opposite sides by the opponent’s pieces
Outside walls cannot be used to capture pieces
A piece in a corner can be captured by 2 opponents pieces trapping the piece in the corner
Win by eliminating the opponent’s pieces to 1 or 0, OR after 12 plays, end game and whoever has
taken the most pieces, wins
NOTE: this board is 12 by 8, but the same rules apply
Follow Up Questions: Is the Roman game anything like the games you play today? Did you like it? Do you think
the soldiers learned about and practiced war tactics in the game? How do you think the plays represent actual
military situations? Why do you think someone would want to be buried with a board game? (they’re often
found in burials) Did you know Romans also played a game just like Tic-Tac-Toe? Did you learn anything about
strategy as you played? Why do you think the Romans liked strategy games?