1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Missed in History Class from houseworks 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Polly 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,800 Speaker 1: cry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. And the episode that 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: we're doing today kind of brushes up against another one 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: of our episodes, the one that we did on Budica 6 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: a while back, and it involves a Roman legion that's 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: been speculated about for decades. We've gotten a number of 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: requests for this one, but the most recent came from 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: listener Alexandra. And already, if this is one of your 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 1: pet things, you probably know what it is. There is 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: a lot of modern interest in the Ninth Legion, also 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: known as the ninth Spanish Legion, or you'll see it 13 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: written as Leggio nine Hispania, and a lot of that 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: popularity stems from uh this book that was written in 15 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: the early nineteen fifties by Rosemary Sutcliffe, and her book, 16 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: which is called The Eagle of the Ninth, tells the 17 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: story of a Roman soldier looking for his father's lost legion, 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: and it was wildly popular when it was published, and 19 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 1: it's continued in its popularity through the decades. There have 20 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: been numerous television and film adaptations of it. I mean 21 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: as recently as just a couple of years ago. It's 22 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: one of those things that's become so ingrained in modern 23 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: culture that people sometimes just take it for straight history, 24 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: which is a little bit dangerous because while the book, 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: which by the way, was aimed at young readers, it 26 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: was like a uh kind of the equivalent of a 27 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: young adult novel. Uh. It was researched historically, but at 28 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: the end of the day, it is a historical adventure novel. 29 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: It is not a history book. And in Sutcliffe's book, 30 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: the Ninth Legion vanished in the mist while battling in Scotland, 31 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: and in the forward for the book, she wrote, quote, 32 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: sometime about the year eighty one seventeen, the Ninth Legion, 33 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: which was stationed at Bericum where York now stands, marched 34 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: north to deal with a rising among the Caledonian tribes 35 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: and was never heard of again. No one knows what 36 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: happened to the Ninth Legion after it marched into the 37 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: north learned mists. First, I will say, I'm our convention 38 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: is normally to use B, C E and C E. 39 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: I'm using a D there just because it's a direct 40 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: quote and also this is not really accurate. Uh, there 41 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: is a gap, there's there's missing information about what happened 42 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: to the Ninth, but it's not quite so sensational, is this. 43 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: So there's actually been a great deal of debate about 44 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: the fate of the Ninth among historians and a lot 45 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: of research which has turned up evidence of their existence 46 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: after one seventeen. And while the mystery element of it 47 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: has grown the speculation of it into this legend that 48 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: really I understand the appeal. It sparks the imaginations of 49 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: storytellers and history buffs alike, But really this is one 50 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: of those case where cases where it's almost about bookkeeping, 51 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: and it's it's really mostly a matter of tracking down 52 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: timelines and events and the evidence. We have to sort 53 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: of see where the likeliest stories intersect. It's kind of 54 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: like doing historical Occam's Reaser. So that is what we 55 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: were talking about today. Uh, And we'll start with a 56 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: little bit of background on the Ninth. Yes, so we know, 57 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: I mean, the Ninth Legion was a real thing. It 58 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: did exist, It was raised sometime in the sixties b c. E. 59 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: The Legion fought in Gaul under Julius Caesar in fifty 60 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: eight b C. And in Hispania in the summer of 61 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: forty nine b C. There's this long and storied history 62 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: of all their triumphs and defeats and even some revolts 63 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: from within. But we're going to pick up in forty three, 64 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: in the year forty three, and that's common era when 65 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: the legion was instrumental in invading Britain under Claudius. We 66 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: know that four Roman legions garrisoned in Britain under Claudius 67 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: and Nero. There was the fourteenth Victorious Twin Legion, which 68 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: left Britain in seventy c E. The Second Augustine Legion, 69 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: which remains during the Roman occupation of Britain, the twenty 70 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: Victorious Valerian Legion, which like the Second Augustine, was in 71 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: Britain throughout the Roman occupation. And then there's the Ninth Legion, 72 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: which we don't know when the end state was for 73 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: its garrison. Yeah, and these were there were certainly other 74 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: legions that came into Britain, but these were the first 75 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: four that were sent into Britain by the Romans. And 76 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: while we have fairly certain knowledge of how those first 77 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: three on this list and those that came after were 78 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: either conquered or disbanded, or went on to other activities. 79 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: The Ninth Legion remains a little bit slippery. We do 80 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: know some things about it for sure, though. We know 81 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: that the Ninth Legion was involved in the rebellion in Britain, 82 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: the Budica lad and that was in sixte C. After 83 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: that they were moved to York, where they built what 84 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: would become the foundations of the city as it exists today. 85 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: And the last known mention of the Ninth in actual 86 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: historical accounts is in a D. Two c. E. And 87 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: that's by the historian Tacitus in Agricola. Tacitus rites of 88 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: the Ninth Legion quote it might pa pssibly be broke 89 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: or incorporated with the Leggio sexta Victrics. And this use 90 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: of the word broken in this translation means demolished or decimated. 91 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: So Tacitus is saying that the Ninth was either wiped 92 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: out entirely or it joined up with the sixth Legion 93 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: and one a list of the existing Roman legions was compiled, 94 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: and the Ninth was not on that list. Yes, so 95 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 1: we know that somewhere between. Uh. You know, this historical 96 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: mentioned by Tacitus in one sixty five, which is an 97 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: eighty year period. Somewhere in there they stopped being a thing. 98 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: But before we get into kind of modern research and 99 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: and what we have been able to surmise based on 100 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: archaeological records and research records. So far, do you wanna 101 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: take a quick word from a sponsor? Sure? All right, 102 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: So going back to kind of the modern research on 103 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: this topic. Bartolomeo Borghese, who was an Italian count that 104 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: was doing search in the eighteen thirties, while he was 105 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: tracing the career of a Roman politician named Lucius Barbarus, 106 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,479 Speaker 1: Ligarianas noticed this gap in the knowledge of the Ninth 107 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: and what they had been up to. Uh Like Garrianas 108 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: began his career with the ninth Hispaniel legion, and that 109 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: was not unusual. It was fairly common for politicians on 110 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: a senatorial track to serve in the military for a 111 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 1: brief period, usually for one or two years, before they 112 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: reached the age of twenty four, because at twenty four 113 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: they would become eligible to enter the Senate as you know, 114 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: low ranking officials. Lagarianas became a consul in one thirty 115 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:39,559 Speaker 1: five c e. And he would have been at least 116 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: thirty two at this point. That was the youngest age 117 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: that he could have been considered for the position, although 118 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: it's pretty much believed he was closer to forty. This 119 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: means that he would have been serving in the Ninth 120 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: Legion around one fifteen C, so that's well after the 121 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: last historical mention in the year eighty two. And then 122 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty four, and inscribed slab was unearthed in 123 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: York by construction workers while they were working on digging 124 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: out a drain, and this slab appeared to be the 125 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: middle section of a larger piece. It's about one meter 126 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: square and hona ism is inscribed the Emperor Caesar Nerva 127 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: Trajan Augustus, son of the deified Nerva, conqueror of Germany, 128 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: conqueror of Dassia, chief priest, in his twelfth year of 129 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: tribunis in power a d one o eight, acclaimed imperator 130 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: six times through the agency of the ninth Hispanian Legion, 131 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: and this piece uh is important because of that date. 132 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: This piece was found near one of the gates of 133 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: the fortress ever ak Um, and it may have been 134 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: a dedication inscription that it was celebrating the completion of 135 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: the Gate. And that date, as I said, is incredibly 136 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: important because this is suddenly the next record that we have. 137 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: It's not in the written history, but it is an 138 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: artifact that's clearly links the ninth Hispanian Legion to the 139 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: year one oh eight, because that means they were in 140 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: York at that point. So now we have moved forward 141 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: the last historically known point of their existence. Writing in 142 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty five, German historian Theodora Momson suggested that maybe 143 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: the Ninth had indeed fallen in a rebellion at some 144 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: point and then had been replaced by the sixth Legion. 145 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: His theory, which was based on historical study, was that 146 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: an allied group, which was likely the Celtic tribe the Brigands, 147 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: had revolted and then overtaken the Ninth, and for evidence, 148 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: Momson points to the troubles mentioned by Hadrian's biographer related 149 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: to the situation that Hadrian found when he became the 150 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: Roman emperor as as one of these uh evidence pieces 151 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: that this is how the Ninth ended. So many of 152 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: the people that were conquered by Hadrian's predecessor Trajan were 153 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: at this point rebelling and rising up in military actions 154 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: against the Roman Empire, and that included the people's of Britain. 155 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: Momson's second piece of supporting evidence is a letter written 156 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: by Marcus Cornelius Fronto to Marcus Aurelius, and he references 157 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: Hadrian's loss of men at the hands of the Jews, 158 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: which is Hadrian's Jewish War and very well documented, and 159 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: at the hands of the Britons in the same sentence. 160 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: Though a British war is not clearly part of the timeline, 161 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: there's some circumstantial evidence of it. There are coins that 162 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,360 Speaker 1: were mented under Hadrian that feature Britannia, and some scholars 163 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,959 Speaker 1: have interpreted as marking a significant military action in Britain. 164 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: While Momson's original position was that this war which destroyed 165 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: the Ninth was around a hundred and eight C. These 166 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: coins are often believed to mark the British Wars having 167 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: fallen somewhere between one seventeen and one nineteen, but this 168 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: isn't universally accepted, and Momson kind of uh adjusted his 169 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: timeline a couple of times based on you know, these 170 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: findings and others. UH Coin experts have dated some of 171 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 1: these coins as falling actually much earlier in Hadrian's rule, 172 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: and other theories include the idea that the coins were 173 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: actually minted in one twenty two, which is when Hadrian 174 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: traveled to Britain himself. So debate about the coinage as 175 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: evidence of the timeline kind of continues. One of the 176 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: problems of figuring out the fate of the Ninth Legion 177 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,959 Speaker 1: is that clearly, even when you look at existing evidence, 178 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: it's still open to interpretation, and one of the examples 179 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: of this has to do with the Sixth Legion. So 180 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: while it is documented that the sixth Legion entered Britain, 181 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: there was a little bit of a logic leap made 182 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: to assume that they were actually there to replace the Ninth, 183 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 1: and this assumption is usually credited back to Bartolomeo Borgaz 184 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: in the work he was doing in the eighteen thirties, 185 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: and it does appear that Momson was using Boorgaze as 186 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 1: a source and seemed to think that the assumption was 187 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: pretty sound based on the timing and logic of the situation. 188 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: But the sixth as a replacement legion is not actually substantiated. 189 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: It's kind of just a case of the Ninth going 190 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,199 Speaker 1: missing from the historical record. Around the same time that 191 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: the sixth showed up in Britain, Hadrian was also moving 192 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: other troops into Britain in one nineteen, possibly as a 193 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: lead up to the start of the construction on Hadrian's Wall, 194 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: which was in one twenty two. So to single out 195 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: the sixth as a replacement for the ninth doesn't quiet 196 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: hold up. And now we're about to get to some 197 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: interesting modern evidence. So before we do that, do you 198 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: want to do another quick word from a sponsor? Sure, okay, 199 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: So getting back to some interesting modern archaeological finds. Uh. 200 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty nine, a roofing tile with the stamp 201 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 1: of the ninth Legion was found in the Netherlands in 202 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: a legionary fortress at Nimakon called Huonerberg. It was not 203 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: the only artifact bearing the Ninth's mark to be found 204 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: at that site, and these discoveries were a bit of 205 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: a revelation because prior to the nine find almost all 206 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: of the artifacts found at nimaking Fortress were marked with 207 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: the stamp of the tenth Gemina or tenth Twin Legion. 208 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: The tenth Twin Legion are documented as having been in 209 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: the fortress near the end of the first century, but 210 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: the Dacian Wars under Trajan in the early years of 211 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: the second century required them to leave. There are also 212 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: some tiles at the Hunnerberg Fortress that are marked vex 213 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: brit and they that indicates that they were associated with 214 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:34,319 Speaker 1: a detachment from Britain. Archaeologist Jewels Bogaers believes that these 215 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: actually have been associated with mixed troops rather than men 216 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: from just one legion. This really leaves the question of 217 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: the pieces that are marked with the seal of the 218 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: Ninth Legion. So while the artifacts bearing the Ninth Legion 219 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: seal haven't been precisely dated, they're really believed to be 220 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: early second century pieces. And one of the most interesting 221 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: aspects of these artifacts is that they bear the stamp 222 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: as L E G V I I I I H 223 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: I S P SO Legion nine Hispania, and in this 224 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 1: instance there's a V and four eyes as the Roman 225 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: numerals for nine, rather than what we've come to know 226 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: in the modern sense of I x SO. Ninth Legion. 227 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: Stamps from York, however, do have the Roman numeral as 228 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 1: I X for nine. For the most part, items found 229 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: in Britain retain the I X version version of the numeration, 230 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: whereas those found on the European continent used the V 231 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 1: and four eyes version. This is somewhat significant because near 232 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: a villa about ten kilometers away from the fortress, a 233 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: horse harness pendant was found and it uses the I 234 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,840 Speaker 1: X conventions to indicate nine, suggesting that some members of 235 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,079 Speaker 1: the Legion who had been garrisoned in York eventually made 236 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: their way towards Germany. Yeah, so that becomes significant, uh, 237 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 1: that they suddenly found this one variation that is known 238 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: to be from York in Nimahon. Uh. And then there 239 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: is this additional body of evidence about sort of what 240 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 1: happened to the Ninth and that has to do with 241 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: former Ninth Legion members who then rose to offices in 242 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: the Senate Lucius and nineties. Sextius Florentius moved from his 243 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: service in the Legion to a proconsole position and then 244 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: a governorship and that's in office he was appointed to 245 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: around one seven. Because of the time frame between his 246 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: military service and his governorship, really no more than five 247 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: years could have elapsed. That means he was serving with 248 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: the Ninth as late as one two, well after they're 249 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: characterized as having been vanquished. Similarly, Quintus Numissius Unar, another 250 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: member of the Ninth, is on record as a console 251 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: in one sixty one CE, and as this is normally 252 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: a post that a man would have achieved in his 253 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: mid thirties to early forties, that would have put his 254 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: fighting around the of twenty around the year one forties, 255 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: so that then puts it much later than many historians 256 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: have credited the Ninth was still being around. Now. It's 257 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 1: possible that he could be some sort of outlier to 258 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 1: the normal career system and that he didn't achieve the 259 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,479 Speaker 1: same office milestones in the same age time frames as colleagues. 260 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: But even so that would only scoot the numbers around 261 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: a little bit. Like we're talking about it, it would 262 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: be like a twenty year difference, because if he was, 263 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: the idea of him making this console position in his 264 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: sixties would really be super duper strange. So we have 265 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: some popular possibilities to explain what happened to the Ninth Legion. 266 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: One is that they were vanquished in a skirmish in 267 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: the midst of Scotland around a T two c E. 268 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: That one's not really super held up since we have 269 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: definite evidence beyond that. Another is that the Ninth were 270 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: trapped in an uprising against the Roman occupation of Britain 271 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: sometime around one seventeen or one nineteen. And then we 272 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: get to my favorite one. That's that they just vanished 273 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: into thin air during one of the above. They were 274 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: just taken by some mystical form. Yeah. And the fourth 275 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: one is maybe the least exciting, but to me it 276 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 1: seems like the most logical. Yeah, that's that they were reassigned, 277 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 1: maybe sent towards Germany, and eventually they were either dispersed 278 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: or absorbed, either in whole or in part into other legions. 279 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: I have to confess that I kind of like the 280 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: Brigadoon explanation. They just vanished, it just went. So there 281 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: is enough evidence of post Britain Ninth Legion presence, or 282 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: at least members of it, that the idea that they 283 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: just vanished in the eighties or in uh, the one 284 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: teens is pretty thin. And we do know that, you know, 285 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: later after the eighties, Roman soldiers fell in large numbers 286 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: to the Britain under Hadrian. So it is certainly within 287 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: the realm of possibility that enough of the Ninth fell 288 00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: that their significance as a legion was pretty significantly diminished, 289 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: and it's not outside the realm of possibility that the 290 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: remaining soldiers went on to other legions. While a lot 291 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 1: of the really more sensational versions of the story of 292 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: the Ninth saying that they vanished failed to take into account, 293 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,919 Speaker 1: is that if an entire legion of accomplished soldiers really 294 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,359 Speaker 1: had just vanished into thin air, then we'd probably have 295 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 1: a lot of accounts of it. Instead, we just have 296 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,919 Speaker 1: a lack of accounts of what happens. So it's not 297 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: really the legion that vanished, it's just sort of the 298 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: legion that faded away, and it's the historical record that's 299 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:39,040 Speaker 1: really god missing. Yeah, I mean, I think, to me, 300 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: what makes the most sense, and again, you know, this 301 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,719 Speaker 1: is my speculation on it is is just that you know, 302 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: it's slowly sort of started to fall apart, and they 303 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: may have lost a lot of men, and some of 304 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 1: those men went on to other things, but they they 305 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 1: just stopped being noteworthy enough to be included in the 306 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: record until the point where it kind of ham petered 307 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: out so much that there wasn't a hard end stop 308 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,360 Speaker 1: to it. Kind of an Occam's razor kind of thing. 309 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: That's definitely the simplest, the most logical explanation. Yeah, and 310 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 1: I feel bad. I feel almost like, um, mean, because 311 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: I know there are people that love to speculate on 312 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: what happened in the ninth Legion, and I get it, 313 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 1: but I just for my thinking, you're certainly welcome to 314 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: continue to speculate along those lines, but for my thinking, 315 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: it just makes more sense that, like we said, they 316 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: just kind of stopped being significant. Yeah. Well, and when 317 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: it comes to our history mystery kind of episodes, I 318 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,640 Speaker 1: feel like the response we get is kind of divided 319 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,160 Speaker 1: between the people who love the mysteries and the fact 320 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: that we ultimately get to the end of the episode 321 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,400 Speaker 1: and like we don't know that it's fine, and then 322 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: we have other folks that are like, we got to 323 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 1: the end of the episode and we still don't know. Yeah, 324 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: it's interesting. A lot of the the stuff that I 325 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: came across even while researching this, you know, as I said, 326 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: there have been a lot of film and television adaptations, 327 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: and anytime one of them, you know sort of is 328 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 1: in the mid to its pre release promotional push, like 329 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: there will suddenly crop up a lot of articles around 330 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:08,440 Speaker 1: that time talking about it, and those are the ones 331 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: that are usually like and they there's no clear evidence 332 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 1: as to what happened. But then if you read a 333 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: lot of people that are sort of more in depth 334 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: ongoing historians about it, they're like, well, it's more just 335 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: like it's not a mystery. It's just kind of like 336 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:26,080 Speaker 1: a shrugger. Yeah, it seems like it just kind of, 337 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: you know, fell apart and tendrilled out, and then the 338 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: just wasn't there anymore, not so much a mystery as 339 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,679 Speaker 1: like a a non noworthy end. Do you have some 340 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: mysterious listener. It's not so mysterious, but it is cool, 341 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: and it's from our listener, Alicia, and it is about 342 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,880 Speaker 1: it's referring back to an older podcast on the Conto earthquake, 343 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: and she says, Hi, ladies, I've just been steadily catching 344 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: up on years of stuff you missed in history class, 345 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 1: and I finally reached an episode that I know something about. 346 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: I just listened to the Great Conto Earthquake of episode 347 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: and really enjoyed hearing about the morseless sidle and historical 348 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,440 Speaker 1: aspects of the disaster. In your podcast, you make reference 349 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: to the photographs of the disaster, which made me think 350 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,479 Speaker 1: about an exhibition that I helped curate through a museum 351 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: studies course at Mills College. The exhibition featured woodblock prints 352 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: that were commissioned to document the disaster and in turn 353 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: also influenced artistic styles. The prints were very interesting to 354 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: work with, an absolutely beautiful, albeit horrifying, because many depict 355 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: the firestorms and their aftermath in vivid detail, records of 356 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 1: which are not available via photograph. The show, titled Reverberations 357 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 1: Japanese Prints of the Conto Earthquake, included about twenty woodblock 358 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,360 Speaker 1: prints from the Mills College collection, many dozens of old postcards, 359 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: and a video. We also hosted a print making workshop 360 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 1: in an online exhibition catalog with essays examining various aspects 361 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,439 Speaker 1: of the artworks and their intersections with society. Unfortunately, the 362 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: catalog has disappeared, but I did save some images of 363 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: the prints and the essays that I helped write. By 364 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: this point, I'm sure you're wondering, but what does any 365 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 1: of this have to do with cat fish, which was 366 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: in the subject line of her email. Well, there is 367 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: a Japanese myth that a giant wiggly catfish lives under 368 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: Japan and it's pinned down by a gatekeeper. Earthquakes are 369 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: caused when this catfish breaks free. There are a bunch 370 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: of societal, spiritual, and socio political aspects of this belief 371 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:19,719 Speaker 1: in our essay Explorers how woodblock prints communicated these beliefs 372 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: and their impact on post earthquake Japanese society during the Tokugawa, 373 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 1: Meiji and Thai show area Eras. I thought you might 374 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: find this aspect of the topic interesting, so I uploaded 375 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: some images the essay and other goodies so you could 376 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: check them out for yourself. I'm pulling together my thoughts 377 00:21:35,119 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 1: for this email. I also found this blog post. She 378 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,239 Speaker 1: linked to a blog post in a slide show with 379 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: more examples of woodblock prints that similarly capture what's going 380 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,200 Speaker 1: on here. This is very fascinating. I did not realize 381 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: that there were This is stupid on my part or 382 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:55,959 Speaker 1: just ignorant kind of blind spot historically woodblock prints of 383 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 1: historical events like kind of as news the pretty good. 384 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: I've missed this completely, so now I'm excited because it's 385 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: another sort of I fear it will be a rabbit 386 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: hole situation. I may lose time that I probably should 387 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 1: be spending doing some other work, but I cannot resist. 388 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: I want to look at everything now because it's cool 389 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 1: and I didn't. It never occur to me. They're really beautiful, 390 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: I said, I feel ignorant to have that blind spot. 391 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: But thanks to Alicia. One time I was there and 392 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: that somebody was doing a demonstration of how they carved them. 393 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: It was really cool. That's super cool. I'm like blown 394 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:36,719 Speaker 1: away by the whole concept art and history together in 395 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: new ways for me anyway. As so, if you know 396 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: of cool things like that, or if you just want 397 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: to share your thoughts on an episode or kill us 398 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,119 Speaker 1: about your link to something historical, you can do so 399 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: at History Podcast at house to works dot com. You 400 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: can also connect with us on Twitter at missed in 401 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: History and Facebook dot com, slash missed in History and 402 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,440 Speaker 1: missed in History dot tumbler dot com, and at pinterest 403 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: dot com slash missed in History. 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You can also 413 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: visit us at our history site missed in history dot 414 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: com for all of the episodes, show notes, blog posts, 415 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: all kinds of historical goodies uh, and we encourage you 416 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: to visit us there and at how stuff works dot 417 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics. 418 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: Because it how stuff works dot com