Caerleon - We Are Legion‏

Around two thousand years ago, Isca Augusta, one of only three permanent Roman Legionary Fortresses in Britain, was located on the banks of the river Usk, in present day Caerleon, less than 20 miles from our house. We've travelled thousands of miles, and to some pretty dangerous places, to see Roman ruins. But, bizarrely, for something so close to our hearts (and home), we'd never found time to visit Caerleon. However, on a dry, albeit grey, day in November, we decided to check it out. 

First stop was the Roman Baths Museum, housing the well-preserved ruins of the military bath house. It was a place for thousands of soldiers and their families to relax and enjoy a reminder of the comforts of Rome and to take their minds off the cold, wet inhospitable land they had been sent to. That said, the baths were obviously wet, and undoubtedly cold with its outdoor pool and generally unheated stone floors. Protected in the museum are the exposed remains of the pool and several heated "tepidarium" plunge pools. The ruins aren't as impressive as those in Bath, but are very well presented, with image projectors and sound effects creating the illusion of water and people bathing. 

A few hundred metres away are the remains of the barracks and an amphitheatre; both the most complete of their type in Northern Europe. The amphitheatre had a capacity of about 6,000 which was enough to house the entire legion and is still used as an open-air theatre during the summer. 

 Our final stop was the National Roman Legion Museum. It has a superb display of artifacts brought to life by an interesting audio tour that provided us with some new facts on Roman military history. Bet you didn't know how many soldiers there were in a century? Not 100, as you might think, but 80, or 160 for the first century in the Legion. Also Centurions, who usually got promoted from the ranks, earned up to 17 times as much as a legionary soldier. An interesting retention strategy, as the soldiers had hardly any savings after paying for their living expenses, and their only chance of earning enough for retirement was to knuckle down and hope they got promoted.

Caerleon may not have the most impressive Roman ruins in the world, but they are certainly worth a visit.