The Celtic People were amongst the first to sail to Britain.
The Celts lived in tribes, building their villages on top of hills.
Each house was constructed by driving heavy wooden posts into the ground to form a circular structure, and this was padded out with walls made from weaved wood, mud, straw and dung. (The unpleasant smells diminished when the walls dried out!!)
To complete the building, there was a the thatched roof, sometimes with a central hole to allow the smoke to escape.
The Celts were hunters and gatherers, and made tools from iron and flint. We tried on their clothes and shared their food.
Boadicea, Iceni Queen
Then came the Romans. Their introduction to Britain was not peaceful.
The Romans attacked and burned down villages and many battles ensued. Queen Boadicea was the widow of Prasutagus, the king of the Icene tribe of East Anglia. She was a tall, strong woman with long red hair and a fierce demeanor, and she wanted revenge.In AD 60 or 61, while the Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus,was leading a campaign in North Wales, Boadicea put together a large army which included the Trinovantes and other celtic tribes. They destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), formerly the capital of the Trinovantes, but now a Roman colony.
On hearing the news , Suetonius hurried to Londinium (London) the rebels' next target, but seeing thesize of Boadicea's army he decided that he did not have the numbers to defend it and therefore abandoned it. It was burnt to the ground, as was Verulamium (St Albans). Suetonius, meanwhile, regrouped his forces, and despite being heavily outnumbered, the romans were far more organised and they defeated Boadicea in the Battle of Watling Street. Boadicea was thrown in jail. Eventually she died by poisoning herself.
Boadicea was the first person to stand up the Romans, and has since enjoyed legendary fame.
The second wave of soldiers, under Claudiius, invaded and settled.
There were some intermarriages between the Romans and Celts.
We were introduced to Marcus Vidius Marcelus who lived in Calibra (Silcester).
Looking out from his balcony onto the town square below, Marcus told us about his lifestyle.
We looked closer at the town and were surprised to see that the Romans had slaves. Lawbreakers were either fined, thrown into jail or publically flogged. They can also be made into slaves.
Slaves can be freed by their owners or they can fight for their freedom, and it is a fight to the death. In Rome there was a colosseum built specifically for the 'Gladiators' but here in Calibra there is a smaller hilltop version visible in the top right of the picture.
The Celts took all their water from one stream or river which the Romans viewed as barbaric. Marcus proudly pointed out the aquaduct behind the Basilica which fed fresh water into his town.
Most Romans had a bath in their home but they also went to the public baths. Marcus explained that it was a great place to socialise and keep up with the latest news. The people who built the baths liked to make a statement, so many baths contained mosaics and massive marble columns. The larger the baths the more elaborate the decor, even statues to the gods.
After paying a nominal entrance fee, the Roman would do some exercises to work up a sweat before moving into the tepidarium (warm bath) which would prepare him for the caldarium (hot bath/sauna). The sweat would then get rid of the body's dirt. After this a slave would rub oil into the skin and then scrape it off with a strigil. The Roman would return to the tepidarium and the frigidarium to cool down. Finally the main pool was used for swimming and socialising.
We finished the day by making good use of the shields.
It was a technique called the tortoise.
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St Francis Primary School, Coronation Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 9HG
