The Disappearing Ninth Legion: A Popular History

by Mark Olly

The Disappearing Ninth Legion puts this mysterious Roman legion firmly back on the historic map. A great deal of fiction and conjecture has appeared in books, films, and on the internet, but this book draws on actual historical and up-to-date archaeological information to paint a picture of the real legion as it was, its development, expansion, structure, assignments under the Caesars and the Roman Empire, its supposed disappearance from York, then further evidence for its survival in Europe, the East, and possibly even China, as the mighty world of the Romans gradually fell apart. Was the legion simply broken up and re-assigned or do they still march the moorlands and streets of Eastern Britain, a lost ghostly army cursed and vanquished by the Druids and Celts? It's all here written and presented in an easy and non-technical way by one of Britain's best up-and-coming story tellers and presenters.

Genres: History, Military History

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2011

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of this book is a history lesson. It educates the reader on the types of armor used by the Roman Legions and the locations of battles in Great Britain. Eventually the lost Ninth Legion and covers several other missing legions as well. There is scholarly discussion on multiple areas of thought including personages who are found after the alleged dates of the Ninth's disappearance. These personages allegedly served with the Ninth. I say allegedly because statue and monument makers were known to make mistakes so nothing can be taken 100% as fact. I like the fact that while giving his own thoughts on the matter in the conclusion, the author has given a fair overview of all the theories of the disappearance. When he rules one out, he gives factual reasons for why this has been done. And finally, for a bit of dramitus, he concludes with a few ghost stories. This was a pleasant read and very educational.

I would recommend it be read in conjunction with The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions by Tony Clunn. Clunn's book has nothing to do with the Ninth and deals with the Varus massacre in Germany. However a reader of this book will definitely enjoy that one, and there is some factual overlap and referencing. Frankly, I believe my enjoyment of The Disappearing Ninth Legion was escalated by having read Tony Clunn's book first.

[Sue Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nearly stopped reading this during the introduction. Unfortunately one of the authors believes in ghosts!!! After that it settles down to covering the documentary and archaealogical evidence for the "career" of the ninth legion (famed in book and film). It contains a lot of information about the legions, including the fact that very little is known of the history of most legions (e.g. the actual legions who were lost under Varus are nowhere named in the "histories", but have been inferred from negative evidence).
The authors conclude that while the legion suffered badly during its tour in Britannia, it probably survived for another 10+ years in other parts of the empire.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides introduction and insight into the known history of the Ninth Legion in order to explore the mystery of its disappearance from the historical record, a subject which has excited much historical interest, theory and fiction. While the e-book edition I read had a few typographical errors which could have been eliminated with a dedicated proof-reading, the book stands on its own merits and is both enlightening and entertaining. It succeeds in its intention to provide an accessible popular history of an interesting subject by providing sufficient scholarship to inform without becoming tedious. I would certainly recommend this for anyone interested in ancient military history or anyone who enjoys the novels of Rosemary Sutcliff, Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow or Ben Kane, not to mention films like The Eagle, Centurion and The Last Legion.

[Tamara Nesbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, simple overview of Roman warfare and the disappearance of the Ninth Legion. After the history, the authors sum up some of the theories about the event and why or why not they seem probable. Quick read.

[Sarah-Beth Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent look at what could have happened to the Ninth Legion with much food for thought.

[Andre Hermanto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good:
* Has many interesting photos.

Bad:
* Ghost stories.
* Doesn't really add anything new.