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 Wall of Hadrian and follows a young centurion who lost his father when the Ninth Legion disappeared north of the wall. Sutcliff was inspired by a bronze eagle uncovered at Silchester and displayed in Reading Museum. It may originally have formed part of a Jupiter statue in the forum of the Roman town. Sutcliff also assumed that the legion's title of "Hispana" meant that it was raised in Hispania (now Spain and Portugal), but it was probably awarded this title for victories there.

At the time Sutcliff wrote, it was a plausible 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 the year 117, and it has been suggested that it was probably annihilated in the east of the Roman Empire. This in turn is disputed by other historians, who assert that it was indeed destroyed in northern Britain. Sheppard Frere, a Romano-British historian, has concluded that "further evidence is needed before more can be said".

In other media

Radio

  • The BBC Home Service produced a radio dramatisation which was first broadcast in six parts in Children's Hour between 27 February and 3 April 1957, repeated between 7 September and 12 October 1958, and later re-edited into a 90-minute radio play version broadcast in June 1963. The adaptation was by Felix Felton who also played the part of Guern the hunter; Marius Goring played Marcus and Martin Starkie Esca. An extract from the fourth movement of Ottorino Respighi's symphonic poem The Pines of Rome was used as the theme music.
  • It was adapted again by the BBC in a full-cast radio drama in 1996 starring Tom Smith.

Television

  • A BBC television series was made of the book in 1977, scripted by Bill Craig, Donald Bull and Arden Winch, and with Anthony Higgins as Marcus Aquila.

Film

  • 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.

References

  • Blogsite on The Eagle of the Ninth and all Rosemary Sutcliff books by her godchild and literary executor
  • Reading Museum PDF on the Silchester Eagle
  • Eagle of the Ninth, 6-part BBC Scotland 1977 TV series produced by Pharic MacLaren. Original BBC publicity notes and synopsis of the story, plus cast list and synopses for each episode.