The Eagle of the Ninth
Encyclopedia
The Eagle of the Ninth is a historical adventure novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff
and published in 1954. The story is set in Roman Britain
in the 2nd century AD, after the building of Hadrian's Wall
.
The Eagle of the Ninth is one of Sutcliff's earlier books, but may be her best-known title. It is the first in a sequence of novels, followed by The Silver Branch
, Frontier Wolf, The Lantern Bearers
(which won a Carnegie Medal in Literature), Sword at Sunset
, Dawn Wind
, Sword Song, and The Shield Ring. The sequence loosely traces a family, of the Roman Empire and then of Britain, who inherit an emerald seal
ring bearing the insignia of a dolphin
.
The book has also been published as The Eagle. It was adapted for film and released in 2011.
(Ninth Legion) from the historical record, following an expedition north to deal with Caledonia
n tribes in 117; and the discovery of a wingless Roman eagle in excavations at Silchester
. The Museum of Reading
that houses the Silchester eagle states that it "is not a legionary eagle but has been immortalized as such by Rosemary Sutcliff." It may originally have formed part of a Jupiter
statue in the forum of the Roman town. She also assumed that the legion's title of "Hispana" meant that it was raised in modern Spain
, but it was probably awarded this title for victories there.
At the time Sutcliff wrote, it was a widely accepted theory that the unit had been wiped out in Britain during a period of unrest early in the reign of the emperor Hadrian
(AD 117-138). Scholarly opinion now disputes this, for there are extant records that have been interpreted as indicating that detachments of the Ninth Legion were serving on the Rhine frontier later than 117, and it has been suggested that it was probably annihilated in the east of the Roman Empire
. This in turn is disputed by historians who assert that it was indeed destroyed north of Hadrian's wall
. Sheppard Frere
, an eminent Romano-British authority, has concluded that "further evidence is needed before more can be said".
dramatisation, broadcast on Children's Hour
, in about 1956 with Marius Goring
in the lead role, which used Ottorino Respighi
's music "Pines of the Appian Way."
A BBC television serial
was made of the book in 1977, scripted by Bill Craig
and two others with Anthony Higgins
as Marcus Aquila. It was made again by the BBC in 1996 starring Tom Smith.
A film adaptation titled The Eagle was released in 2011, directed by Kevin Macdonald
and with Channing Tatum
as Marcus Aquila and Jamie Bell
as Esca.
Rosemary Sutcliff
Rosemary Sutcliff CBE was a British novelist, and writer for children, best known as a writer of historical fiction and children's literature. Although she was primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults; Sutcliff herself once commented that she wrote...
and published in 1954. The story is set in Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
in the 2nd century AD, after the building of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
.
The Eagle of the Ninth is one of Sutcliff's earlier books, but may be her best-known title. It is the first in a sequence of novels, followed by The Silver Branch
The Silver Branch (Sutcliff novel)
The Silver Branch is a historical adventure novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1957, with illustrations by Charles Keeping...
, Frontier Wolf, The Lantern Bearers
The Lantern Bearers (Sutcliff novel)
The Lantern Bearers is a historical adventure novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1959, with illustrations by Charles Keeping...
(which won a Carnegie Medal in Literature), Sword at Sunset
Sword at Sunset
Sword at Sunset is a 1963 book by Rosemary Sutcliff, part of her The Eagle of the Ninth series. It is a modern interpretation of the legends of King Arthur....
, Dawn Wind
Dawn Wind
Dawn Wind is a historical novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff and published in 1961 by Oxford University Press, with illustrations by Charles Keeping....
, Sword Song, and The Shield Ring. The sequence loosely traces a family, of the Roman Empire and then of Britain, who inherit an emerald seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
ring bearing the insignia of a dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
.
The book has also been published as The Eagle. It was adapted for film and released in 2011.
Plot summary
Discharged because of a battle wound, a young Roman officer Marcus Flavius Aquila tries to discover the truth about the disappearance of his father's legion in northern Britain. Disguised as a Greek oculist and travelling beyond Hadrian's Wall with his ex-slave, Esca, Aquila finds that a demoralised and mutinous Ninth Legion was annihilated by a great rising of the northern tribes. In part, this disgrace was redeemed through a heroic last stand by a small remnant (including Marcus's father) around the legion's eagle standard. Aquila's hope of seeing the lost legion re-established is dashed, but he is able to bring back the bronze eagle so that it can no longer serve as a symbol of Roman defeat — and thus will no longer be a danger to the frontier's security.Historical basis
Sutcliff wrote in a foreword that she created the story from two elements: the disappearance of the Legio IX HispanaLegio IX Hispana
Legio Nona Hispana was a Roman legion, which operated from the first century BCE until mid 2nd century CE. The Spanish Legion's disappearance has raised speculations over its fate, largely of its alleged destruction in Scotland in about 117 CE, though some scholars believe it was destroyed in the...
(Ninth Legion) from the historical record, following an expedition north to deal with Caledonia
Caledonia
Caledonia is the Latinised form and name given by the Romans to the land in today's Scotland north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire...
n tribes in 117; and the discovery of a wingless Roman eagle in excavations at Silchester
Silchester
Silchester is a village and civil parish about north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about south-west of Reading....
. The Museum of Reading
Museum of Reading
The Museum of Reading is a museum of the history of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire, and the surrounding area...
that houses the Silchester eagle states that it "is not a legionary eagle but has been immortalized as such by Rosemary Sutcliff." It may originally have formed part of a Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
statue in the forum of the Roman town. She also assumed that the legion's title of "Hispana" meant that it was raised in modern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but it was probably awarded this title for victories there.
At the time Sutcliff wrote, it was a widely accepted theory that the unit had been wiped out in Britain during a period of unrest early in the reign of the emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(AD 117-138). Scholarly opinion now disputes this, for there are extant records that have been interpreted as indicating that detachments of the Ninth Legion were serving on the Rhine frontier later than 117, and it has been suggested that it was probably annihilated in the east of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. This in turn is disputed by historians who assert that it was indeed destroyed north of Hadrian's wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. Sheppard Frere
Sheppard Frere
Professor Sheppard Sunderland Frere, CBE, FSA, FBA is a former British historian and archaeologist who studied the Roman Empire.-Biography:...
, an eminent Romano-British authority, has concluded that "further evidence is needed before more can be said".
Adaptations
The BBC also produced a Home ServiceBBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
dramatisation, broadcast on Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
, in about 1956 with Marius Goring
Marius Goring
Marius Goring CBE was an English stage and cinema actor. He is most often remembered for the four films he did with Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in A Matter of Life and Death and as Julian Craster in The Red Shoes...
in the lead role, which used Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
's music "Pines of the Appian Way."
A BBC television serial
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
was made of the book in 1977, scripted by Bill Craig
Bill Craig (TV writer)
Bill Craig was a Scottish television scriptwriter.He wrote a large number of scripts, including the TV adaptations of Sunset Song, Cloud Howe, Grey Granite and The Eagle of the Ninth....
and two others with Anthony Higgins
Anthony Higgins (actor)
Anthony Higgins is an English actor.-Career:Higgins started to play in school theatre in England. After graduation, he studied at the school of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company. In 1967 he became a professional stage actor. He received positive reviews for his Romeo in William...
as Marcus Aquila. It was made again by the BBC in 1996 starring Tom Smith.
A film adaptation titled The Eagle was released in 2011, directed by Kevin Macdonald
Kevin MacDonald (director)
Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish director, best known for his films One Day in September, State of Play, The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void.-Personal life:...
and with Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum
Channing Matthew Tatum is an American actor and film producer. He began his career as a fashion model and appearing in television commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew before turning to film roles...
as Marcus Aquila and Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
as Esca.