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What was the role of the Roman army in Britain:

Several functional areas:

  Military: invasion and occupation

  Civil and Support: support of civil structures in the occupied territory  Indirect roles: secondary social and economic roles.

1. Military functions.

Invasion – opening up the province for Rome. Partly achieved in the south before invasion by

diplomatic relations and client kings coming to terms. The army therefore only had unorganised and

disparate native tribes to overcome.

As the army swept from south to north, a civil zone was left behind, and a military zone was created

at the frontier of military operations. A policing function was carried out in areas already pacified.

This was largely carried out by the auxilia forces. The two functions of frontier military operations

and civil operations were carried out by two separately organised and recruited units - the legions

and auxilia. In this sense defence may be seen as a civil role eg the statically based defence at

Hadrians wall provided by auxiliary troops, with mobile cavalry units situated north of the wall.

Relative roles reflected in the numbers: 10 legionary fortresses (each average ~6000 troops on ~50

acres) and 200 auxiliary forts (each on average ~6 acres).

2. Civil and Support functions.

These functions were all carried out within the civil zone, and related to the creation, maintenance

and expansion of roman economic supply lines and political power.

Fulford (1996, 13) suggests II Augusta legion had oversight of the Welsh lead mines west of 

Caerleon, with an auxiliary fort at Pumsaint close to the gold mine. Silver was a by-product of the

lead extraction process, which is indicative of the importance attached to the sites - and perhaps

also suggests the significance of inscribed lead pigs, see De la Bédoyère (2001).

Building work and road creation and repair work. Specialist trades were held within a legion

stonemasons, blacksmiths, tanners, potters, plasterers, surveyors, engineers, medical and veterinary(De la Bédoyère, 2001).

A Vindolanda tablet dated 25 april tells of several hundred men engaged in making shoes, digging

clay, firing a kiln and working lead - quoted in Millett (1995, 79)

Organisation of transportation for import, exports and distribution of goods also crucial.

3. Indirect roles.

a) South:

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Effect on local economy via vici. Supplies were needed and this stimulated the local economy  – the

vici grew to accommodate this trade, which would have created significant wealth locally and

regionally

Luxury goods. Available from the empire forming new patterns of economic demand that adjoined

the other social changes taking place.

Intermarriage. Perhaps as a result of the vici, social relations developed between troops and natives,

resulting in a joining of cultures.

Career. Auxilia were recruited from local population. Considerable reward in the award of Roman

citizenship after 25 years service meant that new opportunities became available to the native

population.

The overall effect is one of multi-faceted social and cultural change in the south. Not just a change to

Roman values but cosmopolitan values based on non-roman auxiliaries, cultural diversification and

hybridisation from intermarriage and the adoption of new patterns of consumer behaviour.

b) North.

A much slower and less evolved process than in the south. The luxury goods economy was

undeveloped. Client kingships undeveloped. But some effect on local economies from supply trade

and perhaps some intermarriage.

Bibliography

De la Bédoyère, G., 2001. Eagles over Britannia. Stroud, Tempus.

Fulford, M., 1996. The Second Augustan Legion in the West of Britain . National Museums and

Galleries of Wales.

Millett, M., 1995. Roman Britain. London, Batsford.