4.Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire

By sheer coincidence, whilst we were visiting these Roman ruins our youngsters happened to be visiting similar ruins in Pompeii in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy which was buried by a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The surprise was so many of the architectural features found in Pompeii can be found at this site in Shropshire.

When you wander around listening to the commentary you realize how far more advanced the Roman architects really were and when considering they did not have the materials and tools we have at our disposal they achieved and understood a lot more than we credit them for.

 Remember the Coliseum in Rome dates back to this time

Everything seems to have evolved around the “Bath House” It was the focal point of any small town with Gyms and recreational facilities usually in the same building. All kept comfortably warm with under floor centrally heated by complicated system of air ducts.

The stone floors were build tiles through which hot air passed. The floors could be decorated with mosaics  

Wroxeter also had a Shopping Mall (55 B.C.) the only difference was one did not enter the shop but bought from the counter that looked out into the thoroughfare. The roads were paved with tracks to guide carts between the stepping stones that enabled the pedestrians to cross without getting their feet wet

 

Wroxeter may well have been a civilized town; a trading post with aqueducts, and all the trappings but it must be remembered it was a garrison post with fortifications that marked a westerly boundary of the Roman empire.

 

 

The legion was the basic unit of the Roman army. Each maniple was commanded by a centurion, who could be recognized by his leg guards, the vine-stick and the helmet with a transverse crest. The Legion's equipment after the Marian reform was standardized and issued by the State. Legionnaires of this period wore a lorica hamata, reinforced on the shoulders, and were equipped with semi-rectangular shields. Two throwing pila, the gladius and the pugio (a short dagger) completed their equipment.

 

 

Without stirrups, it has been argued, the horseman could not have had the control necessary to be effective in battle.  There is much debate over how big a part cavalry played in Roman armies of this period. The now famous Roman four-pommel saddle resolves that problem

 

 

Click to see a range of Roman related models