The Mysterious Disappearance of the 9th Legion

On Friday 17th April the Stafford and Mid Staffs Archaeological Society welcomes Dr Andrew Fear who will be talking about ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of the 9th Legion’

Andrew Fear is a senior lecturer at Manchester University who specialises in Roman and Visigothic Spain; he also is an authority on Early Christianity.

The mysterious disappearance of the Ninth legion remains a mystery. It has provoked much debate, produced one famous and several not so famous novels, and two films in recent years. This talk looks at what we know about the end of the ninth and asks the question ‘was Rosemary Sutcliffe right?’

One theory was that the legion was wiped out in action in northern Britain soon after 108, the date of the last inscription of the Ninth found in Britain, perhaps during a rising of northern tribes. This view was popularised by the 1954 novel The Eagle of the Ninth in which the legion is said to have marched into Caledonia after which it was never heard of again. Other scholars have put forward alternative theories which could place their demise to a later date.


The Mysterious Disappearance of the 9th Legion
A lecture by Dr Andrew Fear
St Bertelins church (ST16 1JF), Holmcroft Road, off Eccleshall Road, Stafford.
The Lecture starts at 7.30 and visitors are more than welcome at the cost of £2.

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