Primary History: Romans

Extension Activity - The Roman Army

The Roman Empire needed a very big and well-trained army. The legions had names and numbers. Four legions took part in the invasion of Britain in AD 43. They were the II Augusta, IX Hispana, XIV Gemina and XX Valeria Victrix. (The numbers are all Roman numerals, so check what they mean in modern numerals.) Find out more about life in the Roman army. What was a Roman sword like? What did the soldiers armour look like? What was a centurions hat like? What food did soldiers eat? Make a wall chart about the Roman army. Use these headings to start with: Uniform Training Weapons What other headings can you can think of? Every legion had at least three or four standards. Find out about the standard-bearer in a Roman legion. Why did the soldiers fight to protect their eagle? Discover more about the legions' standards. Make your own standard for a legion of your classmates. List the disadvantages of joining the Roman army, such as cant marry and have to stay in the army for 25 years. How about the advantages? Good wages what else? Imagine a Roman family, with a son who wants to join the army. Talk about it as they might have done. Why does he want to go? How will it affect the family? Should he join a legion, or some other unit?

Primary History

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