Written by: Stan Kitchner
While hitherto little featured in the world of re-enactment and also little studied compared with the army, the Roman navy - and in particular the Classis Britannica - is now receiving the attention that is its due. A new group, with scholars and other interested parties as members, has been formed and on October 5th last the first of what is planned to be a series of annual conferences on the Roman navy was held in London. Leg II Avg member Stan Kitchener who, besides appearing at our meetings as a mensor (surveyor) is an energetic protagonist of the great importance of the navy in overall Roman military strategy, has prepared the report which follows.
On arrival I was struck with the number of attendees - around fifty, which was heartening. Dr. Andrew Russel acted as chairman of the meeting and gave the introductory talk on The Classis Britannica.
He basically re-iterated much of what Chester G. Starr wrote in his 1941 book (Roman Imperial Navy 31 BC-AD 324; Cornell University Press; 2nd edition 1960) - that the job of the navy, as an auxiliary of the army, was to make sure the army functioned to its greatest potential. Thus, it transported the army, built (advanced) supply bases, dug canals, constructed harbours, mined/quarried/manufactured building materials and kept all lines of communication and of supply open. Specifically, the Classis Britannica smelted iron from the Weald and Exmoor; quarried marble from Purbeck and stone from Kent, Yorkshire and the Netherlands; cut timber in the Weald and the Downs; mined lead in the Mendips, North Wales and Yorkshire; and manufactured clay tiles in SE England and Northern France.
On the right a marble relief of a Roman warship dating to the period around 30BC - possibly at the time of the Battle of Actium. The deck tower and armed marines are plainly seen. The relief was found at Praeneste (present day Palestrina) and is now in the Musei Pontificie at the Vatican.
