Magister Militum

Magister Militum

Named after the highest rank of general in the Late Roman Army, Magister Militum is a re-enactment group focussing on recreating soldiery from the early ancient period through to the Dark Ages, though our specialty lies in the Roman army of the middle 4th Century AD, recreating the elite palatial regiments of emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus, or Julian the Apostate (ruling between AD 355 to AD 363).

Based in north England, we are a group of like-minded individuals with a passion for exploring ancient history through reconstruction. Whilst bringing a fresh outlook to re-enactment, as a team we have over fifteen years of collective experience and a wide range of motivations for taking part in the hobby, from professional academic interest to the manufacture and use of reconstructed artefacts that we might better learn how our ancestors lived. We all enjoy the opportunity to spend a weekend with good friends and an open fire. Above all, we enjoy demonstrating our kit to a captive audience, from battle equipment through to the everyday objects used for eating, drinking, and relaxation.  

Events

Academic-style research into Roman military kit is a passion of the group, and we spend a good deal of time carefully investigating the equipment we use. Given the lack of data surrounding the late period of Rome compared to the early empire, there’s a lot of personal interpretation involved in constructing a good impression for this era. 

To help explain our choices and to inform others, we’ve started work on a series of articles detailing our research into the military equipment of the 4th Century Roman army. These can be found on our Articles page and will be an ongoing series as we delve deeper into the mysteries of this relatively untapped period. 

Magister Peditum
Magister Peditum

Tony portraying a Magister Peditum, Christopher Doyle Photography

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Magister Militum
Magister Militum

Ross portraying a Magister Militum, Christopher Doyle Photography

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Barcarius
Barcarius

Francis Hagan of The Barcarii portraying a late Roman marine, Christopher Doyle Photography 

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Armoured legionary
Armoured legionary

Stan portraying an armoured legionary minus helmet (on guard in-camp), Christoper Doyle Photography

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Vexillarius
Vexillarius

Dan portraying a vexillarius standard bearer, Christopher Doyle Photography

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Group shot
Group shot

Photo of the group at No Man's Land 2023, Christopher Doyle Photography

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