Module overview
In this module, you will examine one of the greatest armies in European history. The Roman army has long excited interest, whether out of an interest in the past, or as a model for more recent military powers. The far-flung province of Britain hosted the largest contingent of Roman military units of any province, with 3-4 citizen legions and up to 50 non-citizen auxiliary units. From the end of the first century AD, conquest ceased, and a frontier was established in the north of England, at first an informal frontier and then the fixed frontier of Hadrian’s Wall. This area has been one of the most important sources of evidence for the Roman army, both textual and material, in particular, the fort of Vindolanda and the Vindolanda Tablets, a unique repository of written evidence from letters to daily manpower reports. What do we know about life on this frontier? Where were the soldiers from? What were their daily routines? How was such a large force supplied? Who else formed part of the military community? Addressing these and other questions, you will study the Vindolanda Tablets and other evidence to reconstruct the lives of this fascinating community.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Locate and use appropriate textual, visual and material sources in the library and online.
- Research historical questions and communicate your findings in written form.
- Develop your time-management skills.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Key primary sources from the northern frontier and Vindolanda in particular: writing tablets, inscriptions.
- The nature of the community inside and outside the fort walls.
- Life on the Roman frontier in Britain from the late first century to the third century AD.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Engage with and evaluate the secondary literature on the Roman army and Roman frontiers.
- Structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered commentaries and essays.
- Analyse and critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources.
Syllabus
Using the Vindolanda tablets, supplemented by other textual evidence from the frontier and further afield, we will explore specific themes related to the military. This is a social history of the region: we will be examining the community who lived on the frontier: who they were, where they were from, who they interacted with, the gods they worshipped. Introductory lectures will introduce you to the history of the region, and the history of the study of the Roman army. In subsequent weeks, the lectures will introduce you to the wider themes and key works of historiography, whilst the seminars will focus on the primary evidence from Vindolanda and what it adds to our understanding of the frontier and Rome’s auxiliary troops. All textual sources from Vindolanda are available in translation.
Weekly themes may include:
- The development of the frontier zone
- Language and literacy
- Documenting the Roman army
- The officers of the Roman army: getting to the top
- How Roman was the Roman army of the frontier?
- Women and children inside and outside the forts
- The daily routines of military life
- Supplying the troops
- Military religion 1: Roman state religion?
- Military religion 2: the gods of the frontier
- Creating a military community
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- lectures
- seminars
Learning activities include:
- preparatory reading, individual research and study prior to each class
- studying primary sources, including textual, visual and material evidence
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 12 |
| Follow-up work | 25 |
| Completion of assessment task | 30 |
| Revision | 26 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 45 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Journal Articles
Bowman, A.K., Thomas, J.D. and Tomlin, R.S.O (2010). The Vindolanda writing tablets. Tabulae Vindolandenses IV, Part 1, pp. 187-224.
Bowman, A.K., Thomas, J.D. and Tomlin, R.S.O (2011). The Vindolanda writing tablets. Tabulae Vindolandenses IV, Part 2, Britannia 42, pp. 113-144.
Goldsworthy, A. and Haynes, I. (eds.) (1999). The Roman army as a community. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series 34.
Textbooks
Bowman, A.K. and Thomas, J.D (2003). The Vindolanda writing tablets (Tabulae Vindolandenses). Volume 3. London: British Museum Press.
I Haynes (2013). Blood of the provinces: the Roman auxilia and the making of provincial society from Augustus to the Severans.. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
D Whittaker (1994). Frontiers of the Roman empire: a social and economic study.. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.
(1998). Life and letters on the Roman frontier: Vindolanda and its people. New York: Routledge.
Keppie, L (2013). The making of the Roman army: from Republic to Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bowman, A.K. and Thomas, J.D (1994). The Vindolanda writing tablets (Tabulae Vindolandenses II).. London: British Museum Press.
Birley, R. (2012). Vindolanda: a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall.. Stroud: Tempus.
Birley, A.R (2002). Garrison life at Vindolanda: a band of brothers. Stroud: Tempus.
Grønlund Evers, K. The Vindolanda tablets and the ancient economy. British Archaeological Reports British Series 544.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written assignment | 40% |
| Written assignment | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written assignment | 40% |
| Written assignment | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External