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Ermine Street Guard standing to attention, re-enactment
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How was the army organised?
The Roman army was organised into legions. There were 3 legions in Britain,
based at Chester, Caerleon and York. Soldiers from all three legions were
sent to Londinium to help run the province. They worked for the governor
and lived in the fort.
Who could be a soldier?
To become a legionary soldier you had to be a citizen of Rome. So most of
the soldiers in Britain, at least at first, would have come from abroad.
Native Britons, like the natives other Roman lands, could join the army as
auxiliaries. They were allowed to become Roman citizens after 25 years
service in the army.
Legionaries took part in big battles but mainly worked as builders,
planners and administrators. Auxiliaries did the day to day soldiers' work
like manning Hadrian's Wall.
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