Centurion

[Grace]

I just watched it on netflix. Good example of what could have happened with the 9th legion mystery.

Revealed: the Roman Ninth Legion's guilty secret | Discovery | Science | The Observer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Ninth_Legion

 

[Blagger]

I saw this last year, and for someone that has much more than a passing interest in Roman history, I thought it was quite good, albeit for a few far-fetching aspects. But what I couldn't get my head 'round was how low an age group the film was deemed suitable for, seeing as most of the bloodshed outshone both Predator and Aliens.

Anyway...

Historically, it was a sound production, but without any firm archealogical evidence, historians are unlikely to ever reach an agreement on the fate of the Ninth Legion. Apart from the established theories that range from annihilation in Caledonia to re-posting to another corner of the empire, another theory has emerged that might prove more likely an outcome. Britannia was by far the most troublesome province for Rome to control, due to distance, it being essentially a vast, forested island and intermitent rebellions. During the reign of Hadrian, Hadrian actually visited Britain. Emperial visits were rare, especially to the Roman frontier. But scant evidence suggests that Hadrian was responding to a military disaster that had been sparked by the construction of Hadrian's wall. The classical writer Fronto, who consoled Marcus Aurelius in AD 160 suggested that the legion may simply have suffered such sustained losses, that it had to be struck from the rolls, which had been the fate of legions posted in Judea. Nevertheless, whatever the fate of the Ninth Legion, it had disappeared from history entirely be the second century AD. The scene that documents the destruction of the Ninth in Centurion is more than likely drawn from another massacre suffered by the Roman army, and drove the emeror Augustus into insanity. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (exact date unknown, but estimated to be roughly sixty years before the Claudian invasion of Britain) in which over three days, three legions (20,000 men) were butchered, eaten and enslaved. Which, considering there were no automatic weapons or explosives present, was a pretty mean feat. Not to mention the whole massacre was lead by a former Roman officer.

But don't let my hectoring scepticism get in the way of a great flick. And don't forget to keep an eye out for another film set in Roman Britain, The Eagle. Here's the trailer:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_cYUGpAoJw"]I can ignore the American accents, but they could've made more of an effort to sound English. Sorry, but American accents don't fit in films about antiquity. But still, it looks great, and I'm going to see it tonight.[/ame]