Roman Soldier
The soldiers garrisoned at Regulbium are believed to have built the fort
themselves. They were the First Cohort of Baetasians, a unit of about
600 men, brought down from Cumbria. Roman bricks with the stamp CIB
(COHORS I BAETASIORUM) were found in the fort.
Auxilary units were often formed from local tribes, unlike the Legions,
who were Roman citizens. The Baetasii were a Gaulish tribe from Brabant
near the present-day Dutch border, and the Cohort from this tribe served
in Britain from an early date.
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The Roman soldier shown here is an auxiliary trooper of that time.
He is wearing body armour of overlapping plates and carries a long
sword developed from Celtic native weapons. The main weapon was a
throwing javelin.
