The British Museum has announced a blockbuster new show dedicated to the humble foot soldiers who built the Roman Empire.
Among the more than 200 objects going on display are the world’s only intact legionary shield — being exhibited in Britain for the first time — and a suit of armour dug up only five years ago from the site of a battle in Germany.
The show, called Legion: Life in the Roman Army, will examine the daily lives of the men, women and children who formed the machine that worked as an army, navy and a police force for around a quarter of the Earth’s population at the height of the empire.
Curator Richard Abdy said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to present an epic subject on a human scale. Sword and sandals, helmet and shield are all on parade here as would be expected, but told through often ordinary individuals, unfamiliar stories can also help us to understand the deceptively familiar figure of the Roman legionary. Every soldier has a story: it’s incredible that these tales are nearly 2,000 years old.”
There are letters from serving soldiers describing their daily lives as well as human remains including from a pair of legionaries who Mr Abdy said were killed by “foul play” and hastily buried in Canterbury.
He said: “They were chucked in one on top of another then their swords were thrown in on top, which is very nefarious-looking.”
Other human remains include the first ever crucifixion victim found in Britain, complete with a surviving nail through a foot, and the remains of a soldier found at Herculaneum, the city — buried under ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.
Mr Abdy said the armour on show was an “unprecedented find” and the shield came from the Syrian desert.
