My name is Arabus and I was 21 when the Romans decided to invade my village in the north of Europe.  Our village was surrounded by a wall and our houses and workshops were located inside it with the crops and animals outside. We meet the Romans for battle just a few fields away from the village were the forest line would begin.  

When I prepared for the battle that would begin soon I put on clothes that consisted of a wool tunic, wool breeches, and a cloak that was fasted around the neck by some metal buckles. The clothes that I wore were all dye bright colors and I also had an old worn pair of open toed shoes that were made of leather that I wore. To help protect me I had a shield that was made of wood and that was covered in leather that would help protect my whole body and I had a helmet that was simple and made of metal with leather inside to help make it softer. The second to last thing I put on was my weapons which were a long sword that I had worn around my waist and a spear that had a long pointed head with a spiral point on top. The last and my favorite thing that I had to put on was my torc which was jewellery made of cold copper and bronze that I had worn around my neck in battle. My torc had a design of a snake and was made in the workshop by the best smith in the village. It was about time for the battle to start but first I went the storytellers one last time. When it was time for the battle we all marched side by side on to the battle field ready to defend our home. The horn signaled that the battle had started. Each Roman soldier was much more equipped then us. They had a sagum and lorica with a jacket of overlapping metal underneath and a leather jacket. They had a shield and a cassis made of bronze with a cap of iron underneath and was lined with fur and cloth that cover down to their neck. The Romans carried a saccus with food and tools and their weapons were a short sword that had an advantage to our. The soldiers had a different kind of pilum that had a soft tin head and a strong body so we couldn’t throw them back because the top would bend and it could be throws ninety feet. As you can see individually we were no match and also there army was so organized and strategic that we lost the battle to the Romans and our territory became just one little part of their empire.

Now I am an old poor man living on the streets in one of Rome’s cities telling my story to people who just happened to have time to listen to an old man telling a story about his past life when he was young and lucky to survive the battle and still be living. The Romans were much more advanced than us and even if I adopted their culture I still like to listen and tell a good story.