Handling history: boys get to grips with Roman Britain

Thirty Year 8 pupils enjoyed the chance to get their hands on genuine Roman artefacts during a visit to the site of the ancient city of Verulamium.

At the Verulamium Museum, the boys were allowed to handle objects discovered during excavations at the site in the 1930s. These ranged from a pestle and mortar and a frying pan to earrings and necklaces, as well as amphorae (large wine jugs), bricks and even knives!

Languages teacher Helen Shephard said: “The eagerness with which the boys discussed the objects and shared their ideas was amazing to see and to hear – many called it the highlight of the day.”

Another high point for the boys was their exploration of a hypocaust – the system used by the Romans to heat the floors in their homes and at the baths.  “The boys’ inquisitiveness about this ingenious system and the level of precision in their drawings and notes made for a very educational, worthwhile and enjoyable experience for all,” added Dr Shephard.

Verulamium was the third-largest city in Roman Britain; the museum stands on the site of the Roman town in the south-west of modern St Albans.

The visit gave the boys an opportunity to relate what they saw and heard to the sections on life and civilisation in Roman Britain in the Cambridge Latin Course Book II, the textbook they have been following this year.

In the first part of the trip, the boys saw an ancient Roman theatre, which could seat up to 7,000 people and which hosted plays, shows and sometimes even public executions!  Nearby were shops, wineries and a villa.

Next the boys were given a brief talk about the history of the site and had the opportunity to handle the artefacts. At the end of the talk, two of the boys dressed up as a rich Roman and a Roman slave – much to the amusement of their classmates. The visit to the hypocaust rounded off the day.