The Roman Ninth Legion's mysterious loss

[Dinosaur]

Why is it that film/tv always shows Roman legionaries as grubbier than my workforce? Were all the bathhouses just built for later archaeologists to play with?}

[mpoole]

The Romans didn't have wheelbarrows, so they used soldiers to carry everything?

[Dinosaur]

Maybe the bath-houses all just developed cracks and proved too expensive to run? - but at least they looked good, judging by the one at Wallsend.....

[sean the sheep]

I heard the IX Legion came to Newcastle for a stag doo and were beaten up by the local women

[sean the sheep]

I dug on the site of the one at Wallsend. I think the original one was in the shipyards near the Ship in the Hole pub.

[Dinosaur]

Nope, think just outside...either that or under the spoil heap from the 2000 dry dock enlargement, don't have my file with me unfortunately (think I was the last person looking for the Branch Wall in Swan Hunters so need to know these things)

If they were stupid enough to head down the Bigg Market of a Friday night what were they expecting?....could explain their disappearance though, expect there are a few still locked in cupboards as sex-slaves up the West End }

[deadlylampshade]

Probably still dancing in the floating night club....or Leg Endz

Swan Hunters eh? That takes me back...

[Dinosaur]

If they've been in there that would explain a lot....probably all still queuing for the little legionary's latrine....presumably no warning to stick to the amphorae in the Latin edition of the guide book? }

Swans is a bit flat and windswept since all the buildings and cranes disappeared, very strange working in their carpark last year with an unobstructed view of the Tyne :face-crying:

Sean - found my dog-eared copy of the monograph (although in my defence it was the display copy from the museum shop so had been mauled by hundreds of school-children before I got to it ...cut-price anyway), the bathhouse is thought to lie under that funny bit of land south (downslope) of The Ship leading down to the riverside in between the Swan Hunter and Neptune yards