Could You Survive in a Roman Frontier Fort?

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Step back into the first century AD with Survive History as we explore the challenges faced by Roman soldiers on the frontier of the Empire. In this immersive episode, filmed at a meticulously reconstructed Roman fort on the Welsh border, we explore the daily life of a Roman soldier.

With the help of volunteers from the Roman Military Research Society, we ask whether you could survive serving in a remote outpost on the edge of ‘barbaricum’. From the secrets of Roman military training, to the intricacies of Roman weapons and armour, we discover what made the Roman army such a successful force on the battlefield. We also experience the power of Roman ranged weapons, from the bow to the ballista.

We learn about the differences between Roman legionaries and auxiliaries, discover what Roman soldiers ate, and how they dealt with terrifying barbarian foes like Sarmatian horse archers. And we find out what it takes to construct a full-size first century Roman fort from the build team at Park in the Past – a truly unique construction project.

So the question is, could you survive as a soldier on the Roman frontier?

#romanempire #militaryhistory #history
00:00 Introduction
02:20 Where you’d be stationed
04:31 Auxiliaries and legionaries
12:15 Roman army training
18:49 Roman forts
22:13 Sentry duty
24:27 Roman toilets
25:12 Meeting the fort builder
30:11 Britain’s Big Fort Build
30:55 Ranged weapons
38:00 Sarmatian horse archer
43:22 What Roman soldiers ate
48:11 Could you survive?

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20 thoughts on “Could You Survive in a Roman Frontier Fort?”

  1. Really hope you enjoy the video guys! Let us know what you think in the comments and please consider supporting the channel at: https://ko-fi.com/survivehistory

    Which aspect of life on the frontier do you think you'd find hardest to cope with? 🤔
    Big thanks again to the Roman Military Research Society and Park in the Past – both helping to keep history alive! 💪
    If you're able, you can also donate to the 'Big Fort Build' to help this amazing project become a reality: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/buildthisfort/

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  4. Weird to think how different but also how similar I imagine a lot of soldiers lives have been through history

    1500 years ago it was Romans manning Scottish and Welsh valley outposts, getting regularly harassed by local militias….. 15 years ago it was Americans in the korengal. Both made up of a lot of young blokes far from home, probably not really clear why they need to risk their lives for their little outpost

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  12. 47:00 Although there was no pasta, I wonder if the Romans were eating bolognaise, without the beef. Traditional bolognaise doesn’t contain tomato, being based on celery, onions, and carrot, with wine and milk making the sauce. The meat is usually half pork and half beef, but you could make it with pork, if beef isn’t a preferred meat. Served with a garlic and coriander leaf flatbread, I think it would be very tasty.

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  15. Fantastic! Where can I sign up?!
    In all seriousness, this was an amazing presentation. I've studied Rome most of my adult life yet I still learned quite a bit from this.

    Please, PLEASE make more like this! What? You need money? Just tell me where to send the money!

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  20. I would love to see something like this done for the Anglo-Saxon period (specifically after the reforms of Alfred the Great and his successors (I.E. the ''Burh'' system)). I think it would be amazing to have numerous forts around the country from different time periods so we could explore the various styles and defensive theories of the various peoples who settled on this island throughout different periods.

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