The Roman Army arrives in Staffordshire

The Roman army was made up of legions and auxiliary units. The legionaries were Roman citizens and each consisted of about 5,500 men. The auxiliaries were men from countries Rome had conquered or its allies, and only served in foreign lands.

When the Roman army advanced into Staffordshire, it set up military bases such as forts and supply sites. Two Roman military forts have been excavated in North Staffordshire at Rocester and Chesterton. Archaeologists can find out about the soldiers and their way of life from sites such as these.