A brush with a Roman soldier

Create your very own Roman soldier, including sword and shield, using an everyday style paint brush.

Take inspiration from army officers such as centurions, who wore a horsehair crest known as a ‘Crista’ on their helmets to distinguish them from other soldiers – something that was particularly useful for identification on the battlefield.

Present-day Exeter was originally a Roman legionary fortress for the Second Augustan Legion (established c. AD 55) in the Roman province of Britannia. Known as Isca Dumnoniorum, or simply as Isca, the town grew around this fortress and served as the tribal capital of the Dumnonians under and after the Romans. The city walls (some 70% of which survive) mark the former perimeter of Isca and part of the wall can be seen within the RAMM garden.