About The RAS Roman Army School

In AD 43 the Emperor Claudius ordered the Invasion of Britain. A powerful Roman army crossed the channel and soon the conquest was underway. Britannia became a new Roman province. The army brought with it new ideas, technology and a new way of life which was adopted by many local inhabitants. The army as well as being a formidable fighting machine was also the instrument of Romanisation. Our group aims to study and explore the Roman military and its effect on society.

Aims

Our aims are to encourage an interest in the Roman army and to share our knowledge. We do this by organizing a conference with the very best lecturers we can find.

The RAS meets once a year and is open to anyone interested in the Roman army.

The annual conference attracts leading academics and others with specialist and expert knowledge of Roman military matters. Every year a theme is chosen and speakers are invited to make presentations sharing their knowledge and explaining the latest thinking on their subject. Lively debates follow each lecture.

Previous Meetings

In 2019 the theme was Sieges and Artillery, in 2018 the theme was Military Personell, in 2017 The Frontiers Of The Roman Empire and in 2016, Women In Roman Society. The RAS attracts speakers and experts from the UK, Europe and the USA. Past speakers have included:

• David Breeze
• Valerie Maxfield
• Adrian Goldsworthy
• Lindsay Allason-Jones
• Andreas Thiel
• Ursula Rothe
• Carol van Driel-Murray
• Andrew Birley
• Matt Symonds
• Richard Bridgland
• Ernest Black
• Jonathan Eaton
• Mark Corby
• Beryl Elliott
• Jon Coulston
• Rob Collins
• Kurt Kleeman
• Jorit Winjates
• Guy Stiebel
• Lawrence Keppie
• Alan Wilkins
• Len Morgan