The grim life of a Roman legionary

00:00 06:05

Harry Mount has narrated this article for you to listen to.

Over the heather the wet wind blows,

I’ve lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose.

The rain comes pattering out of the sky,

I’m a Wall soldier, I don’t know why.

The mist creeps over the hard grey stone,

My girl’s in Tungria; I sleep alone.

W.H. Auden was right. Life for a Roman legionary on Hadrian’s Wall was bloody miserable. The Vindolanda letters sent to and from legionaries living near the wall – on show in a new British Museum exhibition – chime with Auden’s lines in ‘Roman Wall Blues’.

The Romans hated the English weather. In one letter found at Vindolanda fort, near Hexham, Northumberland, a legionary hears about some prized woollen underpants. The letter, from Gaul to the freezing legionary, tells him about the care package he’s getting: ‘Paria udonum ab Sattua solearum duo et subligariorum duo’ – socks, two pairs of sandals and two pairs of underpants.

Other objects in the British Museum show confirm the Romans’ grim intention in Britannia: conquest and control. You’ll see a sword from Pevensey; greaves and a scutum (shield) from Hadrian’s Wall; and a scabbard, tent peg and goatskin tent from Vindolanda. Most beautiful is the Crosby Garrett helmet from Cumbria; the Phrygiancap style with an attached griffin is associated with Asia Minor – showing how far-flung the legionaries’ influences were. The fort at Ribchester, Lancashire, housed troopers from Sarmatia (now southern Russia) – former enemies turned employees of Rome.

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