Posted on 03/16/2011 4:28:52 AM PDT by decimon
The disappearance of Rome's Ninth Legion has long baffled historians, but could a brutal ambush have been the event that forged the England-Scotland border, asks archaeologist Dr Miles Russell.
One of the most enduring legends of Roman Britain concerns the disappearance of the Ninth Legion.
The theory that 5,000 of Rome's finest soldiers were lost in the swirling mists of Caledonia, as they marched north to put down a rebellion, forms the basis of a new film, The Eagle, but how much of it is true?
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Hadrian's Wall was designed to keep invaders out of Roman territory as well ensuring that potential insurgents within the province had no hope of receiving support from their allies to the north. From this point, cultures on either side of the great divide developed at different rates and in very different ways.
The ultimate legacy of the Ninth was the creation of a permanent border, forever dividing Britain. The origins of what were to become the independent kingdoms of England and Scotland may be traced to the loss of this unluckiest of Roman legions.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
My favorite was the 7th legion (Trajan’s). The 10th legion (Julius Caesar’s) was totally overrated.
” There are at least a couple of examples where legions (and their Eagles) were lost and the legion numbers were never reused.”
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD. A confederation of Germanic tribes led by Arminius destroyed the 17th, 18th, and 19th Legions.
Yes indeedy. And the Emperor Augustus was heard to rail on more than one occasion: “Quintilius Varus where are my eagles?”
Augustus simply needed to send his old friends Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo after those Eagles.
save for late read
Not forgetting the military prerequisite for the cursus honorum. I thougth about including it in my post, but didn’t want to overly complicate the discussion.
As I understand it, in theory 10 years or 10 separate campaigns of military service were required. I am unaware of any requirement this had to be in the cavalry, and I believe most young aristocrats served in the contubernium of a general, essentially on his staff, as you say. The young J. Caesar, as a non-typical example (there wasn’t anything typical about him), served his 10 campaigns all over the Med, in a wide variety of positions.
I wouldn’t have a problem with a military service requirement for political office in this country.
The period of the Antonine Emperors was the most stable in the Empire. Essentially no civil conflict From Nerva until the death of Commodus. It was preceded by the Flavian dynasty from Vespatian to Domitian. Domitian was a tyrant who was assassinated and the Senate installed Nerva. Domitian succeeded the Julio-Claudian dynasty after the chaos following Nero. So all of the mess of civil war in Imperial times started in the 180’s, with the exception of 69 AD.
No..Obamaus Maximpadious
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