Legion: Life in the Roman Army transports the visitor across the expanse of the Roman empire through the lens of Claudius Terentianus – a real Roman soldier. As the visitor tracks his journey, through the varied lands and terrains of the empire, and the stages of Terentianus’s life, they experience first-hand the transformation of an individual during a life of service in the Roman Army. It is a poignant and dramatic account, from the intimacy of family life to the brutality on the battlefields.

The design concept is born in the formation of a typical Roman Legion camp. It is linear, with a via principalis – or main thoroughfare – running through it. This layout is a physical interpretation of the life of a legionary, and the ethos of the Roman Empire – always moving forward, and always expanding.

Working closely with the curatorial team, we developed a journey that allowed for strategically positioned objects, such as a collection of the Vindolanda Tablets, and the world’s most complete set of torso armour mark key points in the narrative to reconcile the visitor’s connection to this oftentimes emotional story.

We worked with Horrible Histories on a youth learning interactive initiative in this exhibition. Horrible Histories designed a narrative for ‘Rattus’, their iconic host character, who takes on the role of a legionary within the exhibition.