Marcellus was Governor of Britannia from 101 to 104. At about this time the Roman army was hard pressed to hold the territory Agricola had conquered a generation before. Legio II Adiutrix had been withdrawn to the Danube in AD 92 with three cohorts of Batavian auxiliaries. Emperor Trajan, needing reinforcements for his First Dacian War, had called for vexillations (detachments) from the army in Britain. The natives took advantage of the understrength garrison: excavations at Newstead and elsewhere show signs of destruction by fire. Although the Romans often burnt what was not worth salvaging when they evacuated a fort, excavations also revealed human remains and immense quantities of equipment, including damaged armour, at Newstead. This has been taken as clear evidence of hostile action. The frontier was withdrawn from the Antonine Wall to the line of the Stanegate, the future Hadrian's Wall. Marcellus certainly managed at least a portion of this major reorganization.