The Horsemen of Hadrian's Wall

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0:00:03 > 0:00:07Scything through the landscape of northern Britain is Hadrian's Wall,

0:00:07 > 0:00:10our most famous Roman monument.

0:00:10 > 0:00:14It was built nearly 2,000 years ago as a dividing line,

0:00:14 > 0:00:18separating Roman lands in the south from the barbarians to the north.

0:00:19 > 0:00:24At the heart of the wall's story is a band of forgotten warriors -

0:00:24 > 0:00:26they are the Roman cavalry.

0:00:30 > 0:00:31For over a century,

0:00:31 > 0:00:36historians and archaeologists have been unearthing clues about the Roman cavalry,

0:00:36 > 0:00:39helping to build a picture of their forgotten world.

0:00:41 > 0:00:44And now, Digging For Britain is going to join this search...

0:00:45 > 0:00:48..at archaeological digs...

0:00:48 > 0:00:53They're marrying with the people who, generations ago, they actually conquered.

0:00:53 > 0:00:55..at overlooked Roman sites...

0:00:55 > 0:00:59So these are serious military bases holding hundreds of people.

0:00:59 > 0:01:02..and in museums and archives.

0:01:02 > 0:01:05We're starting to really build up this lovely picture of who these people are.

0:01:05 > 0:01:08This year, an international team of archaeologists,

0:01:08 > 0:01:13historians and re-enactors have come together using the latest evidence

0:01:13 > 0:01:18to restore the cavalry to their rightful place in the story of the Roman Empire.

0:01:20 > 0:01:21As part of this collaboration,

0:01:21 > 0:01:27a team of modern riders has been recruited for a unique historical display

0:01:27 > 0:01:32which will celebrate the power and splendour of the Roman cavalry.

0:01:32 > 0:01:35This is one of the most challenging things that I have done.

0:01:39 > 0:01:44This project, combined with new research, will allow us to examine how those

0:01:44 > 0:01:49elusive warriors lived and reveal their crucial role in conquering and

0:01:49 > 0:01:51controlling Roman Britain.

0:01:54 > 0:01:59Each new piece of information comes together to help us tell the forgotten story

0:01:59 > 0:02:02of Rome's secret weapon - its cavalry.

0:02:16 > 0:02:19When we think of the Romans in Britain,

0:02:19 > 0:02:22we tend to focus on the foot soldiers, the legionaries.

0:02:24 > 0:02:30But in fact the Roman cavalry was central to their military strategy and success.

0:02:31 > 0:02:35But these elite warriors have vanished from the public imagination.

0:02:37 > 0:02:41Even in the Roman era, it was the foot soldiers,

0:02:41 > 0:02:44the legionaries, who hogged the limelight.

0:02:44 > 0:02:48But the Roman cavalry were at the heart of some of Rome's greatest

0:02:48 > 0:02:54victories and they were key to running and defending that vast empire.

0:02:55 > 0:03:00The cavalry were far fewer in number than the infantry, but vital in

0:03:00 > 0:03:04conquering and controlling Rome's sprawling empire.

0:03:04 > 0:03:08But everything we know about them has to be pieced together from small

0:03:08 > 0:03:12clues found in ancient literature or unearthed at archaeological digs.

0:03:13 > 0:03:15In 2017,

0:03:15 > 0:03:20ten museums along Hadrian's Wall brought for the first time all of these

0:03:20 > 0:03:24fragments of evidence together to create a major exhibition celebrating

0:03:24 > 0:03:27the legacy of these ancient warrior horsemen.

0:03:28 > 0:03:30The climax of this project -

0:03:30 > 0:03:35a live cavalry re-enactment involving 30 modern riders.

0:03:35 > 0:03:38They're attempting to stage a Roman cavalry tournament,

0:03:38 > 0:03:45a test of skill and bravery which no-one has seen for over 1,600 years.

0:03:45 > 0:03:47They're drawing on history,

0:03:47 > 0:03:51on painstakingly translated ancient documents as well as the latest

0:03:51 > 0:03:54archaeological revelations in order to bring to life one of the most

0:03:54 > 0:03:57dazzling spectacles of the Roman world.

0:03:58 > 0:04:03And it's providing the academics with a unique opportunity to discover something new.

0:04:03 > 0:04:07By putting their theories into practice, they hope to find out

0:04:07 > 0:04:09how the cavalry rode,

0:04:09 > 0:04:13how their kit was worn and actually worked, and what battle tactics they

0:04:13 > 0:04:15might have brought with them to Britain.

0:04:15 > 0:04:18This experiment of archaeology takes us out of the realm of guesswork and

0:04:18 > 0:04:21moves us into an area where we can start to make

0:04:21 > 0:04:24some reasonable estimates as to what's possible.

0:04:24 > 0:04:27It doesn't give us the answer, but it's every bit as valid as fieldwork.

0:04:33 > 0:04:35As the team prepares for the big show,

0:04:35 > 0:04:38I'm going to seek out evidence the cavalry left behind

0:04:38 > 0:04:41to help build a picture of their role in Roman Britain.

0:04:43 > 0:04:47My journey begins in Northumberland on Hadrian's Wall itself.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02When the Emperor Hadrian came to power in 117 AD,

0:05:02 > 0:05:07he launched a vast building scheme to consolidate the sprawling frontiers

0:05:07 > 0:05:08of the empire he'd inherited.

0:05:10 > 0:05:15He built a new line of defences snaking across 3,000 miles of his frontier,

0:05:15 > 0:05:21from North Africa to the Black Sea and on through central Europe to Britain.

0:05:23 > 0:05:28In northern England, Hadrian's project was realised as an impassable wall

0:05:28 > 0:05:3215 feet high, stretching 75 miles from coast to coast.

0:05:33 > 0:05:38It was designed to keep out the wild British tribes who lived to the north.

0:05:40 > 0:05:45On a day like this, you can imagine being a Roman soldier and being pretty

0:05:45 > 0:05:51disgruntled at having been stationed here on Hadrian's Wall on the very

0:05:51 > 0:05:57northern boundary of this wonderful empire, looking out at the land of

0:05:57 > 0:05:58the barbarians over there.

0:05:59 > 0:06:04But I think what's really interesting me today is finding out how our ideas

0:06:04 > 0:06:09of the wall have evolved over time, and that's all about new archaeological discoveries.

0:06:10 > 0:06:15I want to find out why Hadrian's Wall became the centre of operations

0:06:15 > 0:06:16for the Roman cavalry.

0:06:18 > 0:06:21To get some answers, I'm meeting one of the leading experts on how

0:06:21 > 0:06:24Hadrian's Wall worked, Matt Symonds.

0:06:26 > 0:06:31Matt has minutely researched the 80 small forts dotted along the wall

0:06:31 > 0:06:33which we now know as milecastles.

0:06:35 > 0:06:38This is a building attached to the wall, then, Matt. What is it?

0:06:38 > 0:06:42It is. It's a building known as a milecastle, and this particular one

0:06:42 > 0:06:44is Milecastle 37.

0:06:44 > 0:06:49So, if this is a milecastle, does that mean there were actually small forts

0:06:49 > 0:06:52like this every mile along Hadrian's Wall?

0:06:52 > 0:06:55Essentially, yes. There is a small amount of leeway allowed, but it is

0:06:55 > 0:06:59an incredibly regimented and ordered system, and it is a radical departure

0:06:59 > 0:07:01from what the Roman army was doing before.

0:07:02 > 0:07:06These milecastles saw the Roman army rip up its traditional approach to

0:07:06 > 0:07:10defence, which had been based on temporary wooden forts.

0:07:10 > 0:07:16Here in northern England, they built a continuous line of permanent stone forts,

0:07:16 > 0:07:18all linked by this defensive wall.

0:07:20 > 0:07:24That is an incredibly close surveillance system, and it must almost

0:07:24 > 0:07:28certainly be about making sure you had people in the right positions to stop them

0:07:28 > 0:07:30from sneaking over the wall unobserved.

0:07:30 > 0:07:32- So, if you like, it's an early warning system.- Yeah.

0:07:32 > 0:07:36The number of soldiers based in a milecastle would have been very, very small indeed,

0:07:36 > 0:07:39maybe only eight in that small barrack-block over there.

0:07:39 > 0:07:44But it looks as though there was a major change of plan during the construction process.

0:07:46 > 0:07:50As Hadrian's Wall was being built, the plan evolved.

0:07:50 > 0:07:55As well as those small milecastles, the Roman army also began to build

0:07:55 > 0:07:59a series of huge, heavily defended forts

0:07:59 > 0:08:01into the line of the wall itself.

0:08:05 > 0:08:09So these are serious military bases holding hundreds of people,

0:08:09 > 0:08:12a far cry from the eight or so, the handful of people you'd find in here.

0:08:14 > 0:08:19Perhaps the most famous and dramatic of all of these forts is Housesteads,

0:08:19 > 0:08:24and crucially the Romans filled forts like this not just with ordinary

0:08:24 > 0:08:27foot soldiers but with cavalrymen.

0:08:28 > 0:08:32Perhaps that was a reaction to the ferocity of the native Britons to

0:08:32 > 0:08:36the north or just a bureaucratic decision from on high.

0:08:36 > 0:08:39Whatever the reason, from this point on,

0:08:39 > 0:08:43these forts and their cavalry became key to defending Hadrian's Wall.

0:08:46 > 0:08:50When you think about the frontier, we mustn't just think about this line.

0:08:50 > 0:08:54It's a crucial part of it, but there's a much wider frontier zone.

0:08:54 > 0:08:57And by having concentrated forces and, in particular, by having cavalry,

0:08:57 > 0:09:02you have that strikeforce to the north and indeed to the south, should you need it.

0:09:02 > 0:09:05So it's about really enhancing that capability.

0:09:05 > 0:09:09- It's about controlling a zone rather than just covering this line. - Exactly. The Romans wanted it all.

0:09:09 > 0:09:12They're controlling a line and they're controlling zones to either side.

0:09:14 > 0:09:18Just looking at this landscape, you can see why the Romans decided to move

0:09:18 > 0:09:21their cavalry on to Hadrian's Wall.

0:09:21 > 0:09:26Fast horsemen could move quickly to cut off the first signs of trouble from the native Britons.

0:09:27 > 0:09:34Not far from here is another of these huge forts built into Hadrian's Wall.

0:09:34 > 0:09:39This one was built at a strategic crossing of the River Tyne at a place

0:09:39 > 0:09:41now called Chesters.

0:09:41 > 0:09:46In its heyday, it was home to 500 cavalrymen and their horses.

0:09:48 > 0:09:52New discoveries here are helping to reveal why the Roman cavalry was

0:09:52 > 0:09:54such an effective fighting force.

0:09:56 > 0:10:00To discover more, I'm meeting Kevin Booth of English Heritage.

0:10:02 > 0:10:06One of the most recognisable parts of the fort

0:10:06 > 0:10:08is its living quarters or barracks.

0:10:08 > 0:10:11Barrack-blocks are similar right across the Roman Empire

0:10:11 > 0:10:15but there was always a mystery at cavalry bases.

0:10:15 > 0:10:18There was plenty of accommodation

0:10:18 > 0:10:21for the soldiers but where were the stables?

0:10:23 > 0:10:26The answer emerged in the late 1990s

0:10:26 > 0:10:30when archaeologists in Newcastle made a remarkable discovery.

0:10:30 > 0:10:33During excavations of a similar barrack-block,

0:10:33 > 0:10:37they found a series of shallow pits and it was realised

0:10:37 > 0:10:41that these were rudimentary drains for horses' urine.

0:10:41 > 0:10:47So the men and the horses were in fact living in the same buildings.

0:10:48 > 0:10:52In each of these spaces, you've got three men and three horses

0:10:52 > 0:10:53living side by side.

0:10:53 > 0:10:57So, there would have been three men and three horses in just this space?

0:10:57 > 0:11:01It does seem quite extraordinary and with the relatively narrow doorway.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04In fact, we're stood pretty much on the line of the partition

0:11:04 > 0:11:07between the front half with the horses and the men at the back.

0:11:07 > 0:11:10It would have been pretty dank and smelly in here, I imagine.

0:11:10 > 0:11:12To our sensibilities, no doubt.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Yeah.- But, I don't know, I suppose you get used to it, don't you?

0:11:15 > 0:11:17It seems like a peculiar set-up.

0:11:17 > 0:11:20Why wouldn't they have stables elsewhere?

0:11:20 > 0:11:22Why are they forcing the men and the horses in together?

0:11:22 > 0:11:25It's intimate, and perhaps that's the point.

0:11:25 > 0:11:29You're maintaining the strong bond between the man and his horse

0:11:29 > 0:11:31and that is also to do with finance.

0:11:31 > 0:11:35The horse essentially is paid for out of the Roman soldier's wages,

0:11:35 > 0:11:37he has a financial investment in it.

0:11:37 > 0:11:41And I think also if you've got a fort that has 500 horses in it,

0:11:41 > 0:11:44hygiene and good maintenance is all.

0:11:44 > 0:11:47And then also if you need to get out of the north gate of this fort

0:11:47 > 0:11:50at speed, you're ready, you're prepared.

0:11:50 > 0:11:52- You're away.- So you're on-call here

0:11:52 > 0:11:56in the barracks ready to jump on your horse and set off at any time.

0:11:56 > 0:11:57Absolutely. Permanently.

0:12:02 > 0:12:06These men must have had a uniquely close relationship

0:12:06 > 0:12:10with their horses, which is hard for us to understand.

0:12:10 > 0:12:12They lived side by side

0:12:12 > 0:12:13and fought together.

0:12:16 > 0:12:19To try to understand how the Roman cavalry

0:12:19 > 0:12:21rode and fought on horseback,

0:12:21 > 0:12:25I'm meeting the leader of a modern riding troop, Alan Larsen.

0:12:28 > 0:12:34- Who's this?- This is Finbar and Finbar has the distinction

0:12:34 > 0:12:38in the show of being the mount of the Emperor Hadrian.

0:12:38 > 0:12:42- Really?- And he's got the most magnificent set

0:12:42 > 0:12:47- of recreated 2nd-century saddlery.- Hello, Finbar.

0:12:48 > 0:12:51An amazing saddle, this saddle looks completely different

0:12:51 > 0:12:54- from modern saddles.- Although it's not the most comfortable of saddles,

0:12:54 > 0:12:57it does the job brilliantly.

0:12:57 > 0:13:01So, how do you know what Roman saddles would have been like?

0:13:01 > 0:13:07We owe a great debt to a wonderful man called Dr Peter Connelly,

0:13:07 > 0:13:14who reconstructed the Roman saddles from the cover,

0:13:14 > 0:13:19the outer leather cover, which was found preserved in a bog...

0:13:20 > 0:13:23..during a dig at a Roman cavalry camp.

0:13:23 > 0:13:26He had the genius moment of realising

0:13:26 > 0:13:30that if you put a frame inside it, it could function perfectly well.

0:13:30 > 0:13:34I've noticed that Finbar hasn't got any stirrups.

0:13:34 > 0:13:36- No.- So, is that normal for Roman riding?

0:13:36 > 0:13:39Roman cavalry saddles do not have stirrups.

0:13:41 > 0:13:43They didn't need them. Essentially.

0:13:43 > 0:13:47They were so well wedged into the saddle with these four horns

0:13:47 > 0:13:52that they were able to do everything that a modern rider can do.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55And what about the horses themselves, Alan,

0:13:55 > 0:13:58what would they have been like? Were they very different

0:13:58 > 0:14:02- to modern horses?- Yes, Roman cavalry horses were small.

0:14:02 > 0:14:05By our standards. Finbar is 15 hands

0:14:05 > 0:14:09and that's as big as Roman cavalry horses got.

0:14:09 > 0:14:12So, were they choosing to have small horses or was that just all that was

0:14:12 > 0:14:14- available?- No, that was all that was available.

0:14:14 > 0:14:16The majority of them are what we'd call ponies

0:14:16 > 0:14:20but the good news about that is that a sure-footed,

0:14:20 > 0:14:25sturdy, little pony can carry you for miles and miles, days and days,

0:14:25 > 0:14:28up and down hills in country that a bigger,

0:14:28 > 0:14:30more finely bred horse would begin to falter.

0:14:32 > 0:14:34On these small, rugged horses,

0:14:34 > 0:14:37a cavalryman could travel 40 miles in a day.

0:14:40 > 0:14:42Selecting the right horses

0:14:42 > 0:14:46is also going to be crucial for the 30 modern re-enactors

0:14:46 > 0:14:48who are taking on the huge challenge

0:14:48 > 0:14:51of staging a Roman cavalry tournament.

0:14:52 > 0:14:54A month before the big show,

0:14:54 > 0:14:58troop leader Alan Larsen is bringing together six key riders

0:14:58 > 0:15:02and their horses for a vital first training session.

0:15:03 > 0:15:05In the Roman age, cavalry tournaments

0:15:05 > 0:15:09were designed to showcase the horseman's skills in a public arena.

0:15:11 > 0:15:15These six riders are taking on the role of the elite who starred

0:15:15 > 0:15:18in the highlight of the tournament,

0:15:18 > 0:15:21a competition of horsemanship fought between two teams.

0:15:21 > 0:15:27It's undoubtedly one of the most challenging of equestrian

0:15:27 > 0:15:29and re-enactment disciplines.

0:15:29 > 0:15:33And a relatively few number of riders have the skills

0:15:33 > 0:15:36and determination to see it through.

0:15:37 > 0:15:40Historians have pieced together what they know about Roman cavalry

0:15:40 > 0:15:43tournaments from the ancient literature.

0:15:43 > 0:15:46But this project will allow them to examine

0:15:46 > 0:15:50the cavalry's equipment in action, as well as to better understand

0:15:50 > 0:15:53the tactics and manoeuvres they've only ever read about.

0:15:55 > 0:15:57At today's session, the team needs to practise

0:15:57 > 0:15:59three of these manoeuvres

0:15:59 > 0:16:01which they'll eventually be performing at the show.

0:16:03 > 0:16:08Before they begin, Nigel, the lead rider, calls the team together

0:16:08 > 0:16:11for a briefing to discuss the first task,

0:16:11 > 0:16:13the so-called Cantabrian wheel.

0:16:13 > 0:16:15OK, everybody.

0:16:16 > 0:16:17Everybody happy with their horses?

0:16:17 > 0:16:21Right, what we're going to do first while we're in modern clothing and

0:16:21 > 0:16:23modern tack is start putting together

0:16:23 > 0:16:25the basis of that Cantabrian wheel.

0:16:26 > 0:16:30So in that, Magyar and Shadow

0:16:30 > 0:16:34will be the target horses and you four will be riding around

0:16:34 > 0:16:36pelting our shields with your javelins.

0:16:38 > 0:16:41The Cantabrian wheel was a classic Roman battle tactic

0:16:41 > 0:16:45which was practised as part of the cavalry tournament.

0:16:46 > 0:16:50On the battlefield, it was designed to harass enemy forces

0:16:50 > 0:16:53but, in the tournament, the cavalrymen scored points

0:16:53 > 0:16:56by hitting their opponents with blunted javelins.

0:16:57 > 0:16:58Good hit.

0:16:59 > 0:17:01Bad shot.

0:17:01 > 0:17:03We're putting the horses and the riders through their paces.

0:17:03 > 0:17:08They're concentrating on the business of hurling javelins

0:17:08 > 0:17:10at each other in a competition

0:17:10 > 0:17:13which will be as much of a spectacle now as it was

0:17:13 > 0:17:16in the early 2nd century AD.

0:17:19 > 0:17:20Nice.

0:17:21 > 0:17:23I didn't actually mean to hit your camera then.

0:17:26 > 0:17:30The modern riders are discovering first-hand that Roman cavalry

0:17:30 > 0:17:35tournaments were probably also a key part of training soldiers for war.

0:17:39 > 0:17:43With one exercise under their belts, they'll now attempt two other

0:17:43 > 0:17:47disciplines from the Roman cavalry tournament, the pursuit...

0:17:48 > 0:17:50..in which one rider attacks and then flees

0:17:50 > 0:17:53defending their back with their shield...

0:18:00 > 0:18:03..and the charge, which is like a medieval joust,

0:18:03 > 0:18:07where two riders meet in a clash of javelins at speed.

0:18:10 > 0:18:13But during the charge, the team gets a taste

0:18:13 > 0:18:15of just how tough Roman cavalry riding can be.

0:18:24 > 0:18:25Lucy's off.

0:18:25 > 0:18:27Lucy's off. You OK?

0:18:38 > 0:18:41Lucy is winded by the fall but nothing is broken.

0:18:43 > 0:18:45I'm feeling OK. Bruised, but I'll be fine.

0:18:45 > 0:18:48- You're going to get back in the saddle?- I'm going to get back

0:18:48 > 0:18:50in the saddle, yep. That's what we do, we fall off,

0:18:50 > 0:18:51we get back in the saddle.

0:18:51 > 0:18:55The riders are relying heavily on their recreated Roman saddles

0:18:55 > 0:18:57and Lucy's accident has highlighted

0:18:57 > 0:19:00that they're testing these things to their limits

0:19:00 > 0:19:03and they'll need to improve them.

0:19:03 > 0:19:05This is the point at which the saddle...

0:19:05 > 0:19:08..is attached, the girth, is where we tie the girth on.

0:19:08 > 0:19:09And there isn't one on this side.

0:19:11 > 0:19:12It is here.

0:19:13 > 0:19:15So that's what happened.

0:19:15 > 0:19:18That should be there. It's just ripped under the pressure.

0:19:18 > 0:19:20So this is going to need a good repair

0:19:20 > 0:19:23before we actually get to the event.

0:19:23 > 0:19:27The elite riders won't practise again as a group until they meet in

0:19:27 > 0:19:32Carlisle for the event, when they'll have to work with 24 other riders

0:19:32 > 0:19:33as a complete Roman troop.

0:19:33 > 0:19:37There's still a long way to go before they can stage

0:19:37 > 0:19:38a successful tournament.

0:19:38 > 0:19:41Every piece of equipment you put on makes it more difficult.

0:19:42 > 0:19:43The visibility...

0:19:45 > 0:19:47..was a bit of a problem at times.

0:19:47 > 0:19:48It is tiring.

0:19:48 > 0:19:50Very, very tiring.

0:19:51 > 0:19:53I'm very, very tired.

0:19:57 > 0:20:00From ancient records, we know that there would have been

0:20:00 > 0:20:04around 10,000 cavalrymen in Britain at any one time.

0:20:05 > 0:20:08But not all of them were stationed on Hadrian's Wall.

0:20:08 > 0:20:11There was in fact a network of cavalry forts

0:20:11 > 0:20:14located across the north, all designed to help Romans

0:20:14 > 0:20:15control the local population.

0:20:19 > 0:20:22One of the most important cavalry bases in northern Britain

0:20:22 > 0:20:26was built at Ribchester near modern Preston in 70 AD.

0:20:26 > 0:20:30And currently archaeologists are uncovering new clues

0:20:30 > 0:20:33about who those cavalrymen actually were.

0:20:35 > 0:20:39Since 2015, a team from the University of Central Lancashire

0:20:39 > 0:20:42have been running this new dig at Ribchester.

0:20:43 > 0:20:46Much of the fort now lies under the modern village

0:20:46 > 0:20:49so the team has opened a trench in a back garden.

0:20:52 > 0:20:56They've revealed a number of the cavalry fort's buildings and are

0:20:56 > 0:20:58beginning to understand the fort's layout.

0:21:00 > 0:21:04But they're also starting to find small clues that can tell them more

0:21:04 > 0:21:07about where the men who lived here came from.

0:21:09 > 0:21:11Dig co-director Duncan Sayer

0:21:11 > 0:21:15is examining an intriguing piece of pottery the team has found.

0:21:16 > 0:21:20Under this bucket, we have a vaulting tube.

0:21:20 > 0:21:24This would have been a much larger object that comes around out here

0:21:24 > 0:21:29somewhere, has a tube on one end, and it has a socket on the other.

0:21:29 > 0:21:31And you can see on this here

0:21:31 > 0:21:34it just has slightly more of a curve on this side

0:21:34 > 0:21:38than it does on this side, so when you put lots and lots

0:21:38 > 0:21:42and lots of those together then it creates an arch.

0:21:42 > 0:21:45What's quite nice about this is these things

0:21:45 > 0:21:50are seen only in North Africa and at Chesters Roman fort.

0:21:50 > 0:21:53And that's really interesting cos the Spanish cavalry came here

0:21:53 > 0:21:56first and then they moved on to Chesters.

0:21:56 > 0:22:01And so somewhere there would be these gently domed buildings,

0:22:01 > 0:22:02which is, I think, quite nice.

0:22:02 > 0:22:05It would have looked really quite exotic,

0:22:05 > 0:22:08and even out of place in rural Lancashire.

0:22:10 > 0:22:13This fort was first manned by a Spanish cavalry regiment

0:22:13 > 0:22:16who must have brought this exotic architecture with them.

0:22:18 > 0:22:21Cavalrymen were recruited from conquered tribes

0:22:21 > 0:22:24across the Roman Empire, from places like France, Spain,

0:22:24 > 0:22:26the Netherlands, Eastern Europe,

0:22:26 > 0:22:28Syria and North Africa.

0:22:30 > 0:22:33But as well as finding clues about who these men were,

0:22:33 > 0:22:37the team is also finding incredible personal artefacts

0:22:37 > 0:22:40that give us a glimpse into daily life here.

0:22:41 > 0:22:45While they take a break, Duncan Sayer is meeting find specialist

0:22:45 > 0:22:46Justine Biddle to examine

0:22:46 > 0:22:49some of the most recently discovered objects.

0:22:51 > 0:22:55- What is this, Justine?- So this is what's known as

0:22:55 > 0:22:57a terret ring that would

0:22:57 > 0:22:59be part of a horse's bridle fitting.

0:22:59 > 0:23:01OK, so would that fit around the...?

0:23:01 > 0:23:04It would go on the cheek.

0:23:04 > 0:23:06- There.- Exactly there.

0:23:06 > 0:23:08And you'd have one part of the rein,

0:23:08 > 0:23:10one part of the harness would go back towards the head

0:23:10 > 0:23:14- and holding the harness in position. - That's really interesting,

0:23:14 > 0:23:16it really gives us that evidence of ridden horses...

0:23:16 > 0:23:19- Absolutely.- ..in Ribchester, which is what you'd expect, isn't it?

0:23:19 > 0:23:23- Exactly.- One of the best pieces of dating evidence on a Roman site

0:23:23 > 0:23:26is just you expect to find loads of coins, especially in military sites.

0:23:26 > 0:23:30It is a silver denarius of the Emperor Vespasian.

0:23:30 > 0:23:32There he is.

0:23:32 > 0:23:34It's got a dolphin and anchor

0:23:34 > 0:23:41on the reverse side of it and that was minted between 79 and 89 AD.

0:23:41 > 0:23:43Probably comes over

0:23:43 > 0:23:48and is lost from the pocket or the pouch of a Roman cavalry soldier.

0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Yeah, almost certainly.- He would have been a bit annoyed

0:23:50 > 0:23:53- about losing that.- He would have been really cross about losing that.

0:23:53 > 0:23:55That's quite a lot of money that's just fallen into the ditch.

0:23:57 > 0:24:00But it's not only digs that can reveal new information

0:24:00 > 0:24:02about who the cavalrymen were,

0:24:02 > 0:24:06and sometimes these clues can be found in the most unexpected places.

0:24:10 > 0:24:12This is Hexham Abbey.

0:24:12 > 0:24:16The original church here was one of the oldest in Britain,

0:24:16 > 0:24:18but I'm after something even more ancient,

0:24:18 > 0:24:21and that's one of the most striking traces that we have

0:24:21 > 0:24:23of the Roman cavalry.

0:24:26 > 0:24:29When the original Saxon church was built here at Hexham,

0:24:29 > 0:24:33much of the stone used was robbed from nearby Roman buildings.

0:24:35 > 0:24:38During renovation work in the 19th century,

0:24:38 > 0:24:41workers discovered a huge flagstone in the floor.

0:24:42 > 0:24:47When it was lifted, it turned out to be a Roman cavalry tombstone.

0:24:49 > 0:24:50To find out more about it,

0:24:50 > 0:24:54I'm meeting Lindsay Allason-Jones of Newcastle University.

0:24:55 > 0:24:58Lindsay, this is a magnificent tombstone.

0:24:58 > 0:25:00It's absolutely huge.

0:25:00 > 0:25:02Who is this we're looking at?

0:25:02 > 0:25:03This is a man called Flavinus

0:25:03 > 0:25:08who was a standard bearer in the cavalry regiment of Petriana.

0:25:08 > 0:25:10And you can see he's holding the standard there.

0:25:10 > 0:25:12So he was presumably very well known,

0:25:12 > 0:25:15he was high status to have something like this as his grave marker.

0:25:15 > 0:25:18This has been an extremely expensive gravestone.

0:25:18 > 0:25:22It's got an enormous amount of decoration and detail,

0:25:22 > 0:25:24and you can see all the detail of the horse,

0:25:24 > 0:25:25you can see the horse's mane,

0:25:25 > 0:25:28you can see all the reins and the trappings here.

0:25:28 > 0:25:31All those horse trappings that we find archaeologically,

0:25:31 > 0:25:35- here they are.- Yes, there they are. - Displayed.- Yes, indeed.

0:25:35 > 0:25:38Tombstones like this have been invaluable in revealing

0:25:38 > 0:25:40what a cavalryman looked like.

0:25:40 > 0:25:44They show us how things like the horse tack and the weapons

0:25:44 > 0:25:45were actually worn.

0:25:47 > 0:25:50But this tombstone can also reveal more about

0:25:50 > 0:25:52this particular man's identity

0:25:52 > 0:25:55and how cavalrymen wanted to be remembered.

0:25:55 > 0:25:58He's shown in heroic pose,

0:25:58 > 0:25:59galloping away,

0:25:59 > 0:26:03but the poor old barbarian he's slain is not in a heroic pose,

0:26:03 > 0:26:05he's being booted up the backside.

0:26:05 > 0:26:08But he's still hanging on to his sword and fighting back to the end.

0:26:08 > 0:26:11- But being trampled underfoot. - Absolutely, yes.

0:26:11 > 0:26:13So, what do we know about this man?

0:26:13 > 0:26:16Other than that he's obviously in the cavalry.

0:26:16 > 0:26:19Well, the inscription at the bottom tells us his name is Flavinus

0:26:19 > 0:26:22but he's only got the one name, which suggests he's not a Roman citizen.

0:26:22 > 0:26:25It's possible that he came from Gaul or from Spain.

0:26:25 > 0:26:29And it's interesting that he's shown trampling a barbarian

0:26:29 > 0:26:34but if, as you say, he may have been a Celt, he may have been a Gaul,

0:26:34 > 0:26:37then his family would have been barbarians

0:26:37 > 0:26:39just a couple of generations back.

0:26:39 > 0:26:42Yes, well, one man's barbarian is another man's neighbour.

0:26:42 > 0:26:45But this is...this is...

0:26:45 > 0:26:50..an artistic trope, this is the way cavalrymen liked to be shown.

0:26:50 > 0:26:54Wherever they came from, once these men were part of the Roman army,

0:26:54 > 0:26:57they seemed to have embraced their new roles wholeheartedly.

0:26:57 > 0:27:01The impression this tombstone gives is that he may have been

0:27:01 > 0:27:06from a noble family, and if you were a young man with a heroic bent

0:27:06 > 0:27:10who was keen on horses then becoming a cavalryman in the Roman army

0:27:10 > 0:27:14was the best way to really live your life in the way you wanted to.

0:27:14 > 0:27:17There is an element of if you can't beat them, join them, isn't there?

0:27:17 > 0:27:20Oh, yes, yes, I think so. Yes.

0:27:20 > 0:27:22And of course he would have been very well paid as well.

0:27:22 > 0:27:24Able to afford all this bling.

0:27:25 > 0:27:29The cavalrymen were the elite of the Roman army

0:27:29 > 0:27:32and this status drew young men from across the Roman Empire,

0:27:32 > 0:27:36even from conquered peoples, into their ranks.

0:27:39 > 0:27:43And now, having seen cavalry kit depicted on a tombstone

0:27:43 > 0:27:46and pieces recovered archaeologically,

0:27:46 > 0:27:50I want to see what they looked like on the men and their horses

0:27:50 > 0:27:51in the flesh.

0:27:53 > 0:27:56And to do that, I'm joining Nigel, who will be leading the elite riders

0:27:56 > 0:28:00in the show, and he's also an amateur historian of cavalry.

0:28:02 > 0:28:04Nigel, you've got some of the kit ready here.

0:28:04 > 0:28:08- Talk me through it.- Well, let's start with the first piece

0:28:08 > 0:28:11of protection, the important thing is the mail.

0:28:11 > 0:28:15And like most things Roman, it's not Roman.

0:28:15 > 0:28:19So it's been adopted from the Gallic tribes.

0:28:19 > 0:28:22Can I see how heavy that is?

0:28:22 > 0:28:26- Oh, OK.- I haven't weighed it but I think it is around 11 or 12 kilos.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28It must be at least that.

0:28:29 > 0:28:32God, that's a huge weight to be carrying around

0:28:32 > 0:28:35before you start to load up with all the weapons themselves.

0:28:35 > 0:28:37Absolutely, yeah. But, I mean, once it's on your body,

0:28:37 > 0:28:39and the load is spread, you don't notice it as much.

0:28:39 > 0:28:42Yeah. OK, so you're wearing 12 kilos' worth of chainmail

0:28:42 > 0:28:46and then you're carrying a shield as well, so that looks pretty heavy.

0:28:46 > 0:28:48Which equally is quite heavy.

0:28:48 > 0:28:50- Have a feel of that.- Yeah.

0:28:50 > 0:28:52So you wear that...

0:28:52 > 0:28:54How do you wear that? Put this on?

0:28:54 > 0:28:57Well, we are using these two straps, these are not correct.

0:28:57 > 0:29:00OK, no evidence for strapping like that but because we're using

0:29:00 > 0:29:03modern horses and riding in a modern style, we've got to compromise.

0:29:03 > 0:29:06- Yeah.- Our best guess from all of the evidence is that, actually,

0:29:06 > 0:29:09they are holding the shield in a centre grip

0:29:09 > 0:29:12with the reins in the same hand.

0:29:12 > 0:29:15Part of the problem you're getting as well is that weight means that

0:29:15 > 0:29:17you are always unbalanced on the horse,

0:29:17 > 0:29:20and what we are starting to find after a couple of days

0:29:20 > 0:29:23is that we're all getting a lot of pressure on the right side

0:29:23 > 0:29:26of our groin and that's because we're counterbalancing that weight

0:29:26 > 0:29:29by putting more pressure on the right side of the horse.

0:29:29 > 0:29:31So we're tiring our right leg more than our left leg.

0:29:32 > 0:29:35What the elite Roman cavalry were most famous for

0:29:35 > 0:29:37was their masked helmets.

0:29:39 > 0:29:42Many of these remarkable objects have been discovered across Europe

0:29:42 > 0:29:46and these finds have provided templates for Nigel

0:29:46 > 0:29:48and his team's modern recreations.

0:29:51 > 0:29:55But archaeologists have never been sure if these elaborate helmets

0:29:55 > 0:29:58were just for show, or whether they could have been used in combat.

0:30:00 > 0:30:02Some of these helmets, like this sports helmet here

0:30:02 > 0:30:05- is a perfectly functioning cavalry helmet.- Yeah.

0:30:05 > 0:30:08The only thing that's different is the addition of the facemask.

0:30:08 > 0:30:12If that facemask is made to fit the cavalryman's face, absolutely fine.

0:30:12 > 0:30:15Better visibility than the later medieval helmet, and the effect

0:30:15 > 0:30:17psychologically on an enemy would be tremendous.

0:30:17 > 0:30:19There's something quite scary about them -

0:30:19 > 0:30:21that expressionless face, I think.

0:30:21 > 0:30:24- Yeah.- Yeah.- But the idea that it inhibits you

0:30:24 > 0:30:27so much that, you know, they are impractical for use,

0:30:27 > 0:30:30we will be demonstrating that's not the case.

0:30:30 > 0:30:32- Can I try one?- Absolutely.

0:30:32 > 0:30:34- So do I put one of these on first? - Yep.

0:30:36 > 0:30:38OK, let's try this.

0:30:38 > 0:30:41OK. It should go straight on.

0:30:41 > 0:30:43Oh, yeah, it's quite a snug fit, actually.

0:30:43 > 0:30:45Yeah. Well, it needs to be.

0:30:45 > 0:30:48What you can't have is it moving, cos that's when you'll be blind.

0:30:48 > 0:30:49- Yeah.- So it needs to be...

0:30:49 > 0:30:51You need to get used to the discomfort

0:30:51 > 0:30:53of having it firmly fixed over your face.

0:30:53 > 0:30:55I'm not even moving in here, Nigel,

0:30:55 > 0:30:57and it's getting a bit hot and sweaty already...

0:30:57 > 0:30:59- Yeah.- ..just from my breathing.

0:30:59 > 0:31:01I'm going to take that off.

0:31:01 > 0:31:02Ugh.

0:31:04 > 0:31:07It's amazing to see so much detail, isn't it?

0:31:07 > 0:31:09A lot of this is kind of working out what works -

0:31:09 > 0:31:11what kind of padding you need,

0:31:11 > 0:31:13how it all fits together, how it all works together.

0:31:13 > 0:31:16And you can only really do that by trying it out.

0:31:16 > 0:31:17Yes. Absolutely.

0:31:20 > 0:31:23I'm really looking forward to the turma this afternoon, but

0:31:23 > 0:31:25I have already started to learn a lot more

0:31:25 > 0:31:28about the Roman cavalry from talking to the archaeologists

0:31:28 > 0:31:31and about how important this experimental archaeology is

0:31:31 > 0:31:35when suddenly all of their research gets tested, gets put into practice.

0:31:35 > 0:31:39How does it feel and how does it work to put on all of that armour,

0:31:39 > 0:31:43all of that kit, get on a horse, and ride out into battle?

0:31:45 > 0:31:49What made the elite Roman cavalry such feared warriors?

0:31:49 > 0:31:51It wasn't just access to the best kit available,

0:31:51 > 0:31:53but a gruelling training regime.

0:31:55 > 0:31:57But the modern riders who are putting on the cavalry tournament

0:31:57 > 0:32:00have to cram their Roman cavalry training

0:32:00 > 0:32:04into just one session the day before the performance.

0:32:04 > 0:32:09For the first time, all 30 horses and riders are in one place.

0:32:09 > 0:32:14They need to gel as a unit and perfect a difficult manoeuvre

0:32:14 > 0:32:15that's a key part of the show.

0:32:15 > 0:32:18This is one of the most challenging things that I've done.

0:32:18 > 0:32:22Technically it's hugely difficult,

0:32:22 > 0:32:25bringing together this number of horses and riders

0:32:25 > 0:32:26for the first time

0:32:26 > 0:32:29to try and do justice to what was

0:32:29 > 0:32:31an elite military force.

0:32:31 > 0:32:33All riders, please.

0:32:33 > 0:32:34ALAN WHISTLES

0:32:35 > 0:32:39When we go out next, we're going to go out as we are.

0:32:39 > 0:32:42We're going to go out with shields and with spears.

0:32:43 > 0:32:47We're going to do some basic drill with the whole turma together.

0:32:47 > 0:32:48We're going to make our way down,

0:32:48 > 0:32:51we're going to come into the arena...

0:32:51 > 0:32:53..in files -

0:32:53 > 0:32:55a blue file and a red file.

0:32:55 > 0:32:58I'm then going to take us through some basic drill

0:32:58 > 0:33:00around the arena which,

0:33:00 > 0:33:03as you know, is the basis of the show this afternoon.

0:33:05 > 0:33:09My primary concern has always got to be the horses

0:33:09 > 0:33:11and keeping them happy and healthy.

0:33:11 > 0:33:16You've also got to be aware of how hard you can push men

0:33:16 > 0:33:18to achieve the result.

0:33:18 > 0:33:20Morale is crucial.

0:33:24 > 0:33:27Based on ancient literature, it's thought that a turma,

0:33:27 > 0:33:30the Latin for troop, was made up of 30 horsemen.

0:33:32 > 0:33:35The key thing to perfect in the rehearsal

0:33:35 > 0:33:38is a wield, where the whole turma will ride

0:33:38 > 0:33:41around the arena in two ranks at a trot,

0:33:41 > 0:33:43and then at a canter.

0:33:43 > 0:33:46It's a complex and difficult manoeuvre to choreograph.

0:33:46 > 0:33:48Wield!

0:33:52 > 0:33:56You learn a lot about how they must have done it in Roman times, because

0:33:56 > 0:33:59when you try this stuff yourself you understand a whole set of just

0:33:59 > 0:34:01small, practical details, but they add up.

0:34:01 > 0:34:05That's something we think about, training the men, the cavalrymen,

0:34:05 > 0:34:08but in some ways they are much less important than training the cavalry

0:34:08 > 0:34:10horses together.

0:34:10 > 0:34:11So you learn all sorts of things,

0:34:11 > 0:34:14as well as small details of tack and kit and so on.

0:34:15 > 0:34:18And a lot of the skills really must have taken years of

0:34:18 > 0:34:21practice to get perfected.

0:34:21 > 0:34:22We're playing catch-up.

0:34:22 > 0:34:25They had it, they were the masters, and we're playing catch-up.

0:34:29 > 0:34:31Both looking forward to it and a bit nervous about it.

0:34:31 > 0:34:34I think this is the most nervous I've been about a re-enactment.

0:34:34 > 0:34:36I do so many of them each year, but this one

0:34:36 > 0:34:37seems to be a higher-stakes

0:34:37 > 0:34:40and we have more to prove, or more that can go wrong.

0:34:49 > 0:34:52I really feel I'm beginning to build up a picture of who

0:34:52 > 0:34:54these Roman cavalrymen were.

0:34:55 > 0:34:56I've seen how they rode...

0:34:58 > 0:34:59..how they trained...

0:35:02 > 0:35:03..and how they dressed.

0:35:06 > 0:35:11But I want to discover more about what their own experiences were like

0:35:11 > 0:35:13here on the fringes of the Roman Empire.

0:35:14 > 0:35:19And to do that, I'm visiting a place where you can almost disappear

0:35:19 > 0:35:21back into the Roman past

0:35:21 > 0:35:23it's so fresh and visceral.

0:35:24 > 0:35:27It's called Vindolanda and it's one of the most important archaeological

0:35:27 > 0:35:28sites in Britain.

0:35:29 > 0:35:33It was a Roman military fort which was in use for centuries.

0:35:33 > 0:35:36In fact, there were nine different forts here,

0:35:36 > 0:35:37all built one on top of another.

0:35:39 > 0:35:42When digging began here in the 1970s,

0:35:42 > 0:35:45it was discovered that the deep levels

0:35:45 > 0:35:47were amazingly well preserved

0:35:47 > 0:35:50because they were waterlogged and contained very little oxygen.

0:35:51 > 0:35:54This lack of oxygen meant that organic objects

0:35:54 > 0:35:58which usually decay in the ground had been preserved.

0:35:58 > 0:36:00Things like wood, bone and leather

0:36:00 > 0:36:04survive in almost perfect condition at Vindolanda.

0:36:08 > 0:36:12It seems I picked just about the worst day to visit

0:36:12 > 0:36:13this digging season.

0:36:13 > 0:36:17Torrential rain has meant that the excavations have been abandoned.

0:36:18 > 0:36:21That doesn't matter, because I'm most interested

0:36:21 > 0:36:23in seeing some of the small finds

0:36:23 > 0:36:26that have emerged from this extraordinary site over the years.

0:36:28 > 0:36:31And to see what these finds from Vindolanda can tell us

0:36:31 > 0:36:34about the cavalry and their lives on the northern frontier,

0:36:34 > 0:36:37I'm on my way to the museum stores

0:36:37 > 0:36:40to meet curator Barbara Burley.

0:36:40 > 0:36:44Barbara, it's always astonishing to see the preservation of things like

0:36:44 > 0:36:46leather at Vindolanda.

0:36:46 > 0:36:48What was this leather object?

0:36:48 > 0:36:51Well, we know by kind of looking at all the different fragments

0:36:51 > 0:36:53- that it's actually part of a horse's chamfron...- Is it?

0:36:53 > 0:36:55..which is a ceremonial head mask

0:36:55 > 0:36:57that they wear. And if you start to look at

0:36:57 > 0:37:02this piece here, it's the kind of telltale shape of the horse's ear.

0:37:02 > 0:37:05And is this possibly the edge of an eyehole here?

0:37:05 > 0:37:06Exactly, yeah.

0:37:06 > 0:37:09So that would be where the horse's eye would come through

0:37:09 > 0:37:13and you would have something like a decorated kind of eye guard.

0:37:13 > 0:37:15And so it was highly decorative.

0:37:15 > 0:37:18- Yeah.- Beautiful, beautiful piece.

0:37:18 > 0:37:23This find and several others have allowed the team here to reconstruct

0:37:23 > 0:37:24a cavalry chamfron.

0:37:26 > 0:37:29The incredible preservation at Vindolanda

0:37:29 > 0:37:33also led to one of the most important archaeological discoveries

0:37:33 > 0:37:34of the 20th century.

0:37:35 > 0:37:39During one of the first digging seasons here, in 1973,

0:37:39 > 0:37:43the site director, Robin Burley, was working in one of the deep levels

0:37:43 > 0:37:47when he discovered small fragments of wood with writing on them.

0:37:49 > 0:37:53What he'd found were Roman writing tablets, letters,

0:37:53 > 0:37:55accounts and official documents from the fort.

0:37:57 > 0:37:58Once out of the ground,

0:37:58 > 0:38:01the writing began to disappear almost immediately,

0:38:01 > 0:38:02so they were sent to specialists

0:38:02 > 0:38:04who photographed them with infrared cameras...

0:38:05 > 0:38:07..which revealed the vanished text.

0:38:09 > 0:38:11These documents have given us a unique insight

0:38:11 > 0:38:14into life on the northern frontier.

0:38:14 > 0:38:16But what's often overlooked

0:38:16 > 0:38:20is that many of them are written by, or about, the cavalrymen.

0:38:22 > 0:38:25In one famous letter, which seems to be an intelligence report for

0:38:25 > 0:38:29Vindolanda's cavalrymen, we learn about the enemy they had to face.

0:38:47 > 0:38:48After years of research,

0:38:48 > 0:38:51Barbara and her team are also starting to discover

0:38:51 > 0:38:54personal stories about individual cavalrymen

0:38:54 > 0:38:56from the Vindolanda letters.

0:38:56 > 0:39:00You've got some reproductions here of a couple of the wonderful

0:39:00 > 0:39:03Vindolanda letters. What are these referring to?

0:39:03 > 0:39:06Well, the letters and the writing tablets

0:39:06 > 0:39:09give us such a good idea of the actual people here.

0:39:09 > 0:39:13Both of these are accounts, and they talk about a single

0:39:13 > 0:39:16individual - his name was Tagomas -

0:39:16 > 0:39:19and he's from the Vardullian cavalry,

0:39:19 > 0:39:21and his name is just across here.

0:39:21 > 0:39:24- It's difficult to make out, isn't it?- It is very difficult.

0:39:24 > 0:39:27But the interesting thing about this particular letter is it says,

0:39:27 > 0:39:29"Tagomas' companion".

0:39:29 > 0:39:32Now, if that was a man, you would just put his name.

0:39:32 > 0:39:35So the idea is that it was his common-law wife,

0:39:35 > 0:39:39because, at this period on the site, they weren't allowed to marry.

0:39:41 > 0:39:44This one here again talks about Tagomas,

0:39:44 > 0:39:46and he's right here. And he is a

0:39:46 > 0:39:49vexillarius, which means that he is

0:39:49 > 0:39:52- the standard-bearer for the Vardulli cavalry.- Yeah.

0:39:52 > 0:39:54And here he's purchasing lances -

0:39:54 > 0:39:59common cavalry equipment - so it's not hugely surprising.

0:39:59 > 0:40:01But his story goes further because

0:40:01 > 0:40:03not only do we have him in the tablets

0:40:03 > 0:40:06but we also have him on this amphora handle.

0:40:06 > 0:40:11So you can just see T-A-G-O-M-A-S.

0:40:11 > 0:40:12Tagomas. Whatever was in here -

0:40:12 > 0:40:15and we think it was olives stewed in wine -

0:40:15 > 0:40:18he didn't trust his fellow officers

0:40:18 > 0:40:21because he had to write his name on his precious

0:40:21 > 0:40:23- imported food.- Yeah.

0:40:23 > 0:40:26So you start to build up these pictures - that he was married,

0:40:26 > 0:40:28that he...

0:40:28 > 0:40:30..you know, he has his friends, and what he's ordering,

0:40:30 > 0:40:31and what he's doing.

0:40:31 > 0:40:33Also that he likes his food.

0:40:33 > 0:40:36He's got enough money to import food

0:40:36 > 0:40:38that wouldn't normally grow in Northumberland.

0:40:38 > 0:40:41So you're starting to really build up this lovely picture of who these

0:40:41 > 0:40:42people are.

0:40:45 > 0:40:49I've been trying to get a better picture of the Roman cavalry,

0:40:49 > 0:40:52and it's here at Vindolanda that I feel that it's finally

0:40:52 > 0:40:54coming into focus,

0:40:54 > 0:40:56that we have this wonderful evidence -

0:40:56 > 0:40:58written evidence - of precisely

0:40:58 > 0:41:02which troops were garrisoned here.

0:41:02 > 0:41:06But actually we are homing right in and we have the name of this one man

0:41:06 > 0:41:09who we know was the standard-bearer for his troop.

0:41:12 > 0:41:14For much of the Roman occupation,

0:41:14 > 0:41:17the cavalry at places like Vindolanda were here

0:41:17 > 0:41:20to suppress our ancient ancestors.

0:41:20 > 0:41:22But over the centuries of Roman rule,

0:41:22 > 0:41:26that relationship evolved and they began to put down roots.

0:41:29 > 0:41:3430 miles south of Hadrian's Wall, at Binchester, County Durham,

0:41:34 > 0:41:37archaeologists are working at the site of another cavalry fort.

0:41:39 > 0:41:43And they're finding evidence that it wasn't just cavalrymen living here,

0:41:43 > 0:41:44but their families, too.

0:41:48 > 0:41:51The team is from Durham University and they are excavating the fort's

0:41:51 > 0:41:55cemetery, but they're facing an uphill struggle.

0:41:55 > 0:41:59The soil conditions mean that little survives in this ground.

0:41:59 > 0:42:01Leading the dig is Dr David Petts.

0:42:03 > 0:42:06One of the troubles we have been fighting is the soil is really acid.

0:42:06 > 0:42:08So normally, when you're looking for a cemetery,

0:42:08 > 0:42:11you would find bones that would tell you it's a grave.

0:42:11 > 0:42:13Instead, we just have things like this,

0:42:13 > 0:42:14six-foot-long pits

0:42:14 > 0:42:18which most of the time contain virtually nothing in them.

0:42:19 > 0:42:23But by chance, in one corner of the trench,

0:42:23 > 0:42:24the team has found a skeleton

0:42:24 > 0:42:28that has survived the acid soil conditions.

0:42:28 > 0:42:30It might be able to give the team some insights

0:42:30 > 0:42:32into the people who lived here.

0:42:34 > 0:42:37We can see some of the bone survives - bits of the skull,

0:42:37 > 0:42:40bits of the lower jaw you can see.

0:42:40 > 0:42:43What we will be able to do is get a lot of information from the teeth.

0:42:43 > 0:42:46And we can look at the chemistry of those teeth,

0:42:46 > 0:42:49and they tell us quite a lot of information.

0:42:49 > 0:42:52They'll tell us about things like their diet - so proportions

0:42:52 > 0:42:55of meat and vegetables which these people were eating.

0:42:55 > 0:42:57That's quite interesting cos you might expect the soldiers to have

0:42:57 > 0:42:59better diets than the civilians.

0:42:59 > 0:43:03It has also potential to tell us even broadly where these people came

0:43:03 > 0:43:05from. So is it someone who was born and brought up here,

0:43:05 > 0:43:08or is it someone who came from another part of Roman Britain,

0:43:08 > 0:43:10or elsewhere in the Roman Empire?

0:43:10 > 0:43:13So by looking at the teeth, doing stuff back in the lab,

0:43:13 > 0:43:16we can draw a remarkable amount of information,

0:43:16 > 0:43:19even from quite a poorly preserved skeleton like this.

0:43:19 > 0:43:23These results will be another useful piece of the jigsaw puzzle to help

0:43:23 > 0:43:26archaeologists understand who was living at this fort

0:43:26 > 0:43:28in late Roman Britain.

0:43:30 > 0:43:31In another area of the site,

0:43:31 > 0:43:34one of the archaeologists has made a discovery

0:43:34 > 0:43:38which adds weight to the idea that the fort contained not only the

0:43:38 > 0:43:40soldiers, but their families.

0:43:41 > 0:43:43It's a child's grave.

0:43:43 > 0:43:48So we've now got two beads have come out of this little feature.

0:43:48 > 0:43:51But I think, because we're getting this little group of beads,

0:43:51 > 0:43:53it suggests it's a child's grave.

0:43:53 > 0:43:56Even though no bones have survived here,

0:43:56 > 0:43:59this pit is most likely to have been a grave, and these beads would have

0:43:59 > 0:44:02accompanied the child's body.

0:44:02 > 0:44:05What's clear here is we've got all parts of society.

0:44:05 > 0:44:07So it's not just for soldiers, but it's their children,

0:44:07 > 0:44:09because we've got children's graves.

0:44:09 > 0:44:10It's for, presumably, their wives,

0:44:10 > 0:44:13because we've got adult graves with female jewellery.

0:44:14 > 0:44:15A fort like this,

0:44:15 > 0:44:18it's not just isolated soldiers in the middle of nowhere -

0:44:18 > 0:44:21they're the people who make the Empire bigger and protect it

0:44:21 > 0:44:24but they are marrying with the people who, generations ago,

0:44:24 > 0:44:25they actually conquered.

0:44:25 > 0:44:29And it's really lovely to think about how these populations worked.

0:44:37 > 0:44:41In Carlisle, the final preparations are being made for the big show.

0:44:41 > 0:44:44But having 30 riders all together is

0:44:44 > 0:44:47a unique opportunity for the archaeologists,

0:44:47 > 0:44:51and so they've decided to ask Alan and his riders to test out some of

0:44:51 > 0:44:53their theories about the cavalry

0:44:53 > 0:44:55that go beyond the tournament itself.

0:44:56 > 0:44:58They want to try to answer a key question

0:44:58 > 0:45:00about how the cavalry fought,

0:45:00 > 0:45:04and discover if a certain battle formation they've read about

0:45:04 > 0:45:07in ancient literature can actually be performed in real life.

0:45:09 > 0:45:14I'm joining archaeologist and event organiser Bill Griffiths to see if

0:45:14 > 0:45:16Alan and his team can provide some answers.

0:45:18 > 0:45:21So what are the main research questions for you, then?

0:45:21 > 0:45:23What would you really like to find out today?

0:45:23 > 0:45:27No-one has done this before, put 30 riders in full kit in a field.

0:45:27 > 0:45:28- Really?- No, no-one's done it.

0:45:28 > 0:45:30- Well, the Romans did.- Yeah.

0:45:30 > 0:45:32- HE LAUGHS - But not since.

0:45:32 > 0:45:35And with the proper authentic kit, with the stirrup-less saddles,

0:45:35 > 0:45:36all these kinds of things.

0:45:36 > 0:45:39And we just want to see if we can learn some new data about how these

0:45:39 > 0:45:41cavalrymen rode, what it was like to ride in the unit,

0:45:41 > 0:45:44what it's like to ride in formation.

0:45:44 > 0:45:46Bill and the other archaeologists

0:45:46 > 0:45:47want to see how the Roman cavalry

0:45:47 > 0:45:49might have attacked their British enemies.

0:45:51 > 0:45:55There are some literary texts that describe Roman cavalry drill,

0:45:55 > 0:45:56but all we've got is the words.

0:45:56 > 0:45:58So, at the moment, we've been interpreting the words.

0:45:58 > 0:46:00Now, are we interpreting them right?

0:46:00 > 0:46:02Actually, once you have the horses with you,

0:46:02 > 0:46:04you can start to play about and say, "Well, actually, you can do this,

0:46:04 > 0:46:06"you can't do that."

0:46:08 > 0:46:12Alan and his riders are going to attempt to create a battle formation

0:46:12 > 0:46:15called the wedge.

0:46:15 > 0:46:17The archaeologists think this might have been used to attack enemy

0:46:17 > 0:46:20formations, sowing panic in their ranks.

0:46:21 > 0:46:24- So we're now assembling the cuneo - the wedge.- Great.

0:46:24 > 0:46:27Yeah. And we'll see how that goes.

0:46:27 > 0:46:30- Fantastic.- So is this the battle formation?

0:46:30 > 0:46:31It's the battle formation.

0:46:31 > 0:46:34I mean, sometimes the cavalry described the cuneus,

0:46:34 > 0:46:35which is the wedge.

0:46:35 > 0:46:37So it's really just form a triangle

0:46:37 > 0:46:39to break into the ranks of your enemy.

0:46:39 > 0:46:41The riders carefully form up

0:46:41 > 0:46:43in ranks to create a wedge shape.

0:46:45 > 0:46:46SHE GASPS

0:46:51 > 0:46:54- So this is the wedge formation - this is the cuneo cantering...- Yeah.

0:46:54 > 0:46:57- ..and they're holding it together. That's amazing, Bill.- Yeah.

0:46:57 > 0:47:00Just first time out, and they've done it.

0:47:00 > 0:47:02- Nailed it.- That's fantastic.

0:47:02 > 0:47:05- So it proves it's possible.- Yeah.

0:47:05 > 0:47:07Ave!

0:47:07 > 0:47:09MAN ROARS

0:47:09 > 0:47:10It's quite terrifying, actually,

0:47:10 > 0:47:12standing here as they're coming towards us.

0:47:12 > 0:47:15And we are at the side of it. Imagine that coming straight at you.

0:47:15 > 0:47:17- Yeah, wow.- You know, that would be a terrifying sight

0:47:17 > 0:47:20and your first instinct is going to be to run away.

0:47:20 > 0:47:23Alan and his team have managed to recreate

0:47:23 > 0:47:27something that hasn't been seen for over 1,600 years.

0:47:27 > 0:47:31And the academics have been able to prove that it was easily possible

0:47:31 > 0:47:34for the Roman cavalry to attack their enemies

0:47:34 > 0:47:36using the cuneus, or wedge, formation.

0:47:41 > 0:47:45But the cavalry weren't just the most feared soldiers

0:47:45 > 0:47:46in the Roman army.

0:47:46 > 0:47:50From ancient literature, we also know they were the best paid,

0:47:50 > 0:47:53outstripping even the citizen soldiers of the legions.

0:47:58 > 0:48:02To see for myself what their huge pay packets were spent on,

0:48:02 > 0:48:05I'm back at Chesters Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall.

0:48:09 > 0:48:11I'm meeting Frances McIntosh of English Heritage,

0:48:11 > 0:48:15who's been re-examining the archaeological collection

0:48:15 > 0:48:18at Chesters which was dug up in the Victorian era.

0:48:18 > 0:48:22The objects in the museum here really highlight just how wealthy

0:48:22 > 0:48:25and powerful the Roman cavalry were in Britain.

0:48:27 > 0:48:31So these objects were excavated more than a century ago.

0:48:31 > 0:48:34That's right. So, John Clayton inherited the big mansion house

0:48:34 > 0:48:36at Chesters in the 1830s.

0:48:36 > 0:48:39He had Chesters Roman fort in his front garden.

0:48:39 > 0:48:43So he excavated there nearly every year until he died in 1890.

0:48:43 > 0:48:47So we've got all of those fantastic objects from those excavations but

0:48:47 > 0:48:50you've been taking another look at them, haven't you?

0:48:50 > 0:48:53Scholarships change a huge amount in that amount of time.

0:48:53 > 0:48:55We've learnt a lot, there's been a lot more finds which give us

0:48:55 > 0:48:57different information.

0:48:57 > 0:49:00One of the things related to the cavalry that we're able to discover

0:49:00 > 0:49:03is that these beads, here, that have always been presumed to be

0:49:03 > 0:49:07jewellery, we now know from finds they've been strung on harness.

0:49:07 > 0:49:10So you have made new discoveries by revisiting these old finds?

0:49:10 > 0:49:12Yes, exactly. So even though I wasn't excavating,

0:49:12 > 0:49:15I was excavating the boxes and finding out new things.

0:49:15 > 0:49:17It's been really exciting.

0:49:17 > 0:49:20And these things look as though they would hang down off horses.

0:49:20 > 0:49:22That's right. These are some of the pendants we have.

0:49:22 > 0:49:26This one is a really nice example because it has the hook pretty much

0:49:26 > 0:49:31complete, and if you see the design, there, there's two dolphins.

0:49:31 > 0:49:33Oh, yeah. So that would've been very bright and golden,

0:49:33 > 0:49:35hanging down off the harness and jingling.

0:49:35 > 0:49:37Yeah, and glittering, catching the sun.

0:49:37 > 0:49:41It makes the horseman look very impressive and sound very impressive

0:49:41 > 0:49:44- when they're advancing.- Now this is a beautiful thing, what's that?

0:49:44 > 0:49:48This is a decorative element, it's a stud.

0:49:48 > 0:49:52You need to see it close up to get the idea of the amount of amazing decoration.

0:49:52 > 0:49:53It's absolutely gorgeous.

0:49:53 > 0:49:55It would've been mounted on harness.

0:49:55 > 0:50:01Imagine the metal is bright and shiny and it's got this millefiore enamel.

0:50:01 > 0:50:05- So this is glass?- That's right. So rods that are twisted together

0:50:05 > 0:50:09to make the pattern, then stretched and stretched until it's tiny.

0:50:09 > 0:50:13- Then you salami-slice it and set it in.- Isn't that wonderful?

0:50:13 > 0:50:14It's absolutely gorgeous.

0:50:14 > 0:50:17The other Romans and other people in Britain would appreciate how

0:50:17 > 0:50:19expensive that was and the work that had gone into that.

0:50:19 > 0:50:23It's all about the image and projecting the fact that you're a cavalryman,

0:50:23 > 0:50:26you're paid more, you can afford to decorate your horse.

0:50:26 > 0:50:31- They'd have looked amazing, wouldn't they?- Yeah.

0:50:36 > 0:50:40It is the afternoon of the big show in Carlisle.

0:50:41 > 0:50:45All the training and practice the modern riders have put in is going

0:50:45 > 0:50:48to be put to the test in front of a paying audience.

0:50:53 > 0:50:57And for the archaeologists, it's a unique opportunity to see their

0:50:57 > 0:50:59theories and assumptions put to the test.

0:50:59 > 0:51:04Events like this are always useful because however much theorising you

0:51:04 > 0:51:08do about things, once you actually see what can be done with a horse

0:51:08 > 0:51:13and a rider, you have a much better idea of what the ancient texts are saying.

0:51:13 > 0:51:15I think that's so much more valuable.

0:51:17 > 0:51:21Backstage, the riders are readying the horses and checking

0:51:21 > 0:51:23and rechecking their kit.

0:51:26 > 0:51:29As the audience begins to stream into the arena,

0:51:29 > 0:51:32I'm going behind the scenes to see the final preparations for myself.

0:51:35 > 0:51:37How's it going, Nigel?

0:51:37 > 0:51:39- Are you nearly ready?- Yeah.

0:51:39 > 0:51:40It's been a really hard road.

0:51:40 > 0:51:42I think it surprised us all, you know,

0:51:42 > 0:51:44just how tough it was going to be.

0:51:44 > 0:51:46Yeah. It hasn't stopped yet, though.

0:51:46 > 0:51:50- No.- So we're minutes away, aren't we?- Yes, I believe so.

0:51:50 > 0:51:52I've lost all track of time, to be honest.

0:51:52 > 0:51:54I'm just waiting for the order.

0:52:00 > 0:52:04There's an incredible sense of excitement just bubbling

0:52:04 > 0:52:06under the surface here.

0:52:06 > 0:52:10And the riders are just about to set off into the arena.

0:52:10 > 0:52:12I'm going to go in and take my seat.

0:52:12 > 0:52:13I cannot wait.

0:52:17 > 0:52:20I'm going to be watching the action unfold in the company

0:52:20 > 0:52:23of Bill Griffiths, who, along with the other experts here,

0:52:23 > 0:52:26has spent years waiting for this moment.

0:52:27 > 0:52:32In Roman times, these events were competitions where riders battled it

0:52:32 > 0:52:37out for glory and reward in front of the Emperor and the crowd.

0:52:37 > 0:52:39And to recreate some of that atmosphere today,

0:52:39 > 0:52:45the crowd has been split into two teams, red and blue.

0:52:45 > 0:52:47You're on the red side, I'm on the blue side.

0:52:47 > 0:52:49And you're wearing a blue top as well, so...

0:52:49 > 0:52:50I've got red, yes.

0:52:50 > 0:52:54- Red team.- CROWD:- Hooray!

0:52:54 > 0:52:56That's my team.

0:52:57 > 0:53:00- Give your support for the blue team!- No.

0:53:00 > 0:53:02No, definitely not.

0:53:02 > 0:53:06That's one for me, I think. We're winning on the cheers.

0:53:06 > 0:53:07THEY CHEER

0:53:07 > 0:53:10The first part of the show sees the legionaries

0:53:10 > 0:53:12of the Ermine Street Guards strutting their stuff.

0:53:20 > 0:53:25Then it's time for Alan, Nigel and all 30 riders to take centre stage.

0:53:25 > 0:53:30As we turn the pages of time back...

0:53:31 > 0:53:33So they're walking the troop round the arena at the moment.

0:53:33 > 0:53:35What are they going to be doing?

0:53:35 > 0:53:38You're going to see them start to form the Cantabrian circles and then

0:53:38 > 0:53:42bring out the best of the troops to demonstrate their prowess and skill at arms

0:53:42 > 0:53:44in front of the Emperor, competing for his favour.

0:53:51 > 0:53:54Nigel and the other elite riders take their positions for the first

0:53:54 > 0:53:56part of the competition.

0:53:57 > 0:54:02Three are carrying red shields and three are carrying blue shields.

0:54:03 > 0:54:06They'll try to score points for their team by hitting their

0:54:06 > 0:54:08opponents' shields with blunted javelins.

0:54:09 > 0:54:11We should have... We should put a bet on this.

0:54:12 > 0:54:16Are you willing to bet two denarii?

0:54:16 > 0:54:18The first test is the Cantabrian wheel.

0:54:21 > 0:54:22CHEERING

0:54:24 > 0:54:28All the training and hard work has paid off and, even wearing those

0:54:28 > 0:54:33restrictive facemasks, the team manages to hit their targets at speed.

0:54:34 > 0:54:37Blue team, three points.

0:54:37 > 0:54:39Three to me.

0:54:43 > 0:54:46Next is the charge, which is like a medieval joust

0:54:46 > 0:54:48but with thrown javelins.

0:54:53 > 0:54:57Here are the red team. Red point!

0:55:02 > 0:55:03CHEERING

0:55:04 > 0:55:07Red team, three points.

0:55:09 > 0:55:10Oh, it's close.

0:55:14 > 0:55:16And, finally, the pursuit.

0:55:16 > 0:55:21One rider attacks and then is chased down by the victim.

0:55:25 > 0:55:28DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

0:55:34 > 0:55:38- The winner is simply the blue team.- Victory.

0:55:40 > 0:55:43- Well done. It was a fair contest.- Commiserations.

0:55:46 > 0:55:48And as a final sendoff to the crowd,

0:55:48 > 0:55:53the full troop of 30 Roman cavalry riders gallops past in unison.

0:55:55 > 0:55:59It's an awe-inspiring sight and a reminder that these tournaments were

0:55:59 > 0:56:04used to demonstrate Roman power to our ancient ancestors.

0:56:10 > 0:56:13So, Bill, what have you learned from this weekend?

0:56:13 > 0:56:17Huge amounts. One, actually, just how relatively easy some of the

0:56:17 > 0:56:19drill is that we thought wasn't.

0:56:19 > 0:56:21How quickly riders can pick up that drill.

0:56:21 > 0:56:25How important this training, this spectacle is for the training of the army.

0:56:25 > 0:56:27There was a lot of debate. Is it just a show for the Emperor?

0:56:27 > 0:56:31You can see by going through it it's really about developing the

0:56:31 > 0:56:34horsemanship of the soldiers for battle, for contact with the enemy.

0:56:34 > 0:56:37And also, it does give you that real sense, doesn't it,

0:56:37 > 0:56:40that Imperial power and might and majesty projecting the power of

0:56:40 > 0:56:42Imperial Rome?

0:56:46 > 0:56:51So there's a lot of people sticking around after the show itself and

0:56:51 > 0:56:54learning more about the Roman era.

0:56:54 > 0:56:59And what a fantastic way to engage a wide audience with this period in

0:56:59 > 0:57:03our history, and the archaeologists themselves have learned a lot from

0:57:03 > 0:57:05this experience.

0:57:05 > 0:57:10For me, I found it impressive but I also found it quite intimidating.

0:57:10 > 0:57:16There was that power of the Roman army brought to life, but

0:57:16 > 0:57:19it's a symbol of oppression, as well.

0:57:19 > 0:57:22It's a really interesting double-edged sword, I think.

0:57:34 > 0:57:38For the re-enactors, archaeologists and audience alike,

0:57:38 > 0:57:42this has been a unique opportunity to relive something that no-one has

0:57:42 > 0:57:45seen for over 1,600 years.

0:57:47 > 0:57:51This restaging of a Roman tournament has been a magnificent

0:57:51 > 0:57:53spectacle, but actually it's about more than that.

0:57:53 > 0:57:56It's about research, as well, because it's allowed the

0:57:56 > 0:57:58archaeologists to test out some of their ideas.

0:57:59 > 0:58:03And informing everything that's been achieved by this project has been

0:58:03 > 0:58:08the tireless work of historians and archaeologists at digs,

0:58:08 > 0:58:10museums and in the archives.

0:58:11 > 0:58:15Each new clue they've unearthed has helped bring the Roman cavalry back

0:58:15 > 0:58:20to life and return them to their rightful place at the centre

0:58:20 > 0:58:22of the story of Roman Britain.

0:58:22 > 0:58:25But it's a process that's not over yet.

0:58:25 > 0:58:29Across Hadrian's Wall and beyond, new discoveries will continue to

0:58:29 > 0:58:32build our knowledge of these forgotten horsemen.