The Legionary Fortress of Burnum

Welcome to Burnham. Here, in what is now central Croatia, we have one of the most intriguing military sites anywhere in the Roman Empire. Though it survives now only as a series of fragments in a sea of scrub, it was once the home to a series of legions between the reign of Augustus and the end of the first century. Here we have the Principia, the headquarters building of the legions, which became a civil basilica after troops withdrew. This is Burnham's military amphitheater. Built in the reign of Claudius, it was renovated under Vespasian into more or less the shape you see today. The soldiers would watch everything from gladiatorial spectacles here to training exercises. As you can see though, it was renovated quite recently. The entrances and the perimeter wall were all restored in the mid-2000s. Behind us are the legion's exercise grounds. As the camera pans, you'll see a series of low walls encircling an open field. These are what remain of a series of porticos, essentially, around a large exercise yard. It was here, in all weathers, that legions would perform their drills. In winter, they would use the basilica, a covered space on one side of the yard.