York's military population made army life visible through marching columns, weapons training, and off-duty soldiers in the streets. A legion contained about 5,200 infantry plus a small cavalry contingent, and its soldiers were Roman citizens. Auxiliary units of about 500 or 1,000 infantry, cavalry, or mixed troops were recruited among subject peoples, and most of their soldiers were not citizens. Unit names could preserve their origins, as with the Fourth Cohort of Gauls based at Castleford. Fortresses and forts housed men and equipment and resisted sudden attacks, but their main purpose was to send disciplined forces into the field rather than act as medieval-style castles. The closing verdict is that the book combines this military detail with a strong human story about Julia Velva.
Chapter · 17:32-20:02
Legions, auxiliaries, and Roman operational bases
The closing section explains legion and auxiliary organization, daily military visibility, and why Roman forts functioned as field-army bases rather than medieval castles.