Centurions, who commanded groups of 80-160 milites, were much better paid than ordinary soldiers and were able to beat their troops if necessary.

The commander of a legion and other senior officers were normally wealthy Roman civilians rather than career soldiers.

Legionary commanders and their assistants were usually in their thirties and normally served in the army for only a few years.

Gnaeus Iulius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain in our stories, was not a real person.

Other than a biography by his grandson, there is no surviving evidence about Agricola's life and career.

No member of Agricola's family had ever held a political or military office before him.

Agricola was born and educated in what is now France.

Like most Romans, Agricola disapproved of philosophy and public speaking but reluctantly endured those elements of his education.

Agricola had no connection with Britain before he was sent there as governor.

By the time he came to Britain, Agricola had already served as governor of another Roman province and had been consul, the highest elected office in the Roman government.

Agricola was an incompetent governor who did very little while in office.

Agricola was opposed to the "Romanization" of Britain; he was famous for his mistreatment of the British.

Although he was the longest-serving Roman governor in the history of Britain, Agricola's political and military career ended when he returned to Rome in A.D. 85.