Q WERE any of the Romans who served in Britain actually from Italy, or were most of the men in the Roman army recruited locally in Britain? - DS McKenna, Stockton.

A THE soldiers who served in the Roman army came from all parts of the Roman empire and it is a mistake to think of them all as Italians serving in a foreign country. The people who served in the army were of many different ethnic groups, spoke many different languages and worshipped many different gods, but they were all regarded as citizens of Rome. They all had to learn Latin, as this was the language of the military regime.

Britons were often conscripted into the Roman army, probably as a condition of truce. A number of Britons were probably handed over for service in the Roman army each time the Britons were defeated in battle. Of course, most Britons in the Roman army served abroad. This made sense, because it reduced the chances of the army rebelling and stirring up the locals.

Roman military units called cohorts were often comprised of men of one cultural group. A cohort was equivalent to one tenth of a legion. Nineteen regiments of Britons are known to have served abroad, but only one is known to have served in Britain, a cohort called the Cornovii.

This particular cohort consisted of Britons who belonged to a tribe called the Cornovii or Cornouiorum.The cohort is of great interest, as it was stationed at a fort called Pons Aeli from the third to the early Fifth Century. We know this fort today as Newcastle upon Tyne.

Records include details of cohorts serving on Hadrian's Wall, who came from all over Europe. At Wallsend, for example, the people serving in the army there were called Lingonum, and they originated from upper Germany. Asturians, a people from north west Spain, occupied the fort at Benwell near Newcastle and could also be found at Chesters on the North Tyne and at Great Chesters (Aesica) further along the wall. Halton Chesters to the west of Newcastle was occupied by Sabinians, a people from Pannonia, or Hungary, as we know it today. At Carvoran the occupants were Dalmatians from what is now the Serbia-Croatia region. At Vindolanda, there was a cohort of Gallorum, Gauls, a Celtic people from France, and at Housesteads the fort was occupied by Belgians, Frisians and a Germanic regiment .

Published: 08/04/2002

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