Writes Noa聽Cebon, Teacher of Classics
During half term, an enthusiastic group of Thirds embarked on the Taylors鈥� annual residential聽trip to聽Bath.聽The boys, venturing into the world of Roman Britain for聽perhaps the聽first time, brought a delightful curiosity to聽the聽experience. Over the course of two days in Bath and Cirencester, they聽explored some of the聽best-preserved remains of this country鈥檚 Roman occupation at the Roman Baths, Chedworth Roman聽Villa聽and the聽Corinium聽Museum.
There were many highlights from the weekend. The聽excellent聽handling session at the Roman Baths enabled the students to see the remarkable collection of artefacts discovered there and really helped聽to聽put Roman Britain into聽context.聽We were able to understand what people would have been doing inside the Baths so many hundreds of years ago聽鈥斅爓hether being scraped down with a聽strigil, eating oysters with a special oyster spoon, or聽even聽going for a communal toilet break. The students were able to hold and聽identify聽several聽genuine聽artefacts聽for themselves, including, most excitingly, an earwax cleaner.
At Chedworth Roman Villa, the tour guides expertly showed us around the site.聽Particular聽highlights聽included the聽magnificent聽Four Seasons mosaic and,聽of course, the real Roman toilets.聽It was聽also fascinating to hear about the聽ways in which聽wealthy and聽poorer Romans聽interacted within the villa聽setting, and how the wealthy inhabitants might have聽dined in聽their window-clad, underfloor-heated dining room (or聽triclinium) while enslaved workers served them.
At the聽Corinium聽Museum, students聽encountered聽an enormous range of artefacts聽discovered locally 鈥斅爊early聽rivalling聽our own School Archive (as Mrs Hesketh, our Archivist, may attest). Items ranged聽from hairpins to hammers,聽spanning聽the Stone Age and the many聽centuries聽of Roman occupation. It was especially exciting to see one of only聽eleven known聽Sator Squares from the Roman world, which,聽despite their fame, continue to聽baffle scholars with their mysterious message.
Above all, however, my highlight from the trip was the annual Bath quiz,聽featuring聽questions such as:聽鈥淲hat popular Roman sauce was made from fermented fish?鈥�, 鈥淲hich goddess helped the hero Odysseus on his journey home and was said to be born from Zeus鈥檚 head?鈥�, and 鈥淚f Sulis-Minerva were a real person, what would her favourite ice cream flavour be?鈥� (The only acceptable answers were rum & raisin, olive聽oil聽and lemon sorbet, of course.) Congratulations聽to the winning team聽鈥斅燗yaan, Ralph, Gwilym, George and聽Yanuss聽鈥� who scored an impressive 19 out of 28 points.
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