Serious scholarship, lively discussion and a shared fascination with the Roman army
The Roman Army School is an annual residential conference in Durham devoted to the study of the Roman army, its frontiers and the wider Roman world.
Each year a particular theme is explored through lectures by leading academics, archaeologists and other specialists. The programme combines current research with discussion and an expert-led visit to a Roman military site.
Delegates come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some are professional archaeologists or historians; others are students, researchers or enthusiasts who have developed a serious interest in the Roman army.
Academic qualifications are not required. Curiosity, enthusiasm and an interest in the subject are what matter.
The Roman Army School brings specialists and enthusiasts together to explore the Roman army and its world.
The roots of the Roman Army School reach back to Durham in the 1960s. Professor David Breeze has recalled how, as a Durham student, he met the Roman military archaeologist Brian Dobson during the university's excavations at Corbridge. Their shared work developed into study tours and field schools concerned with Hadrian's Wall, the Roman army and the frontiers of the Empire.
In 1968 Brian Dobson organised a field school entitled Hadrian's Wall and Hadrian's Army. Its success led to further courses and tours, and eventually to a separate course concentrating specifically on the Roman army. That course developed into the Roman Army School.
The School subsequently became an important part of the annual activities of the Hadrianic Society and continued to attract people interested in Roman military studies from Britain and overseas.
The Hadrianic Society was founded in 1971 under the leadership of the late Dr Brian Dobson, together with Professor David Breeze and Professor Valerie Maxfield. Its interests embraced Hadrian's Wall, the Roman army and the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Membership was deliberately broad. Professional archaeologists and historians mixed with adult-education students and enthusiasts, and the Society welcomed people irrespective of academic qualifications.
When the Hadrianic Society closed in 2018, the Roman Army School continued independently. The first gathering of the new Roman Army School took place in Durham in 2019, preserving the academic and sociable traditions that had developed over many years.
Its legacy continues through the Roman Army School: specialist lectures, field visits, discussion and a community united by an interest in the Roman army.
Professor David Breeze is one of Britain's leading authorities on the Roman army and Roman frontiers, particularly Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall.
A Durham graduate whose doctoral research examined the organisation of the Roman army, he went on to serve as Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Historic Scotland and has held honorary professorships at several universities.
David was one of the founders of the Hadrianic Society and has been central to the development of the Roman Army School. He recruits the invited speakers and chairs the annual conference.
In this podcast interview with TheCollector, David reflects on more than 50 years of research into Hadrian’s Wall and the Roman frontiers, and discusses the purpose of the Wall and life at the edge of the Roman Empire.
Listen to the interview
AD 43 was the year in which the Emperor Claudius launched the Roman invasion of Britain. It is an appropriate identity for a School devoted to the army that conquered, occupied and helped transform Roman Britain.
The School has always been more than a sequence of lectures. Meals, discussion and field visits provide opportunities for speakers and delegates to exchange ideas in an informal and friendly atmosphere.
Whether you work professionally in Roman archaeology or simply have a longstanding fascination with the subject, you are welcome at the Roman Army School.
Explore the 2027 Conference