On Thursday evening, the Classics Department welcomed Ben Kane, a bestselling historical author, to deliver an insightful and informative talk to the Lower Fifth. Ben, wearing full Roman military dress and equipped with sword, shield and even a Centurion’s vine staff, spoke about life in the Roman army.
No gruesome details were spared – from the Roman’s use of tribuli to the fustuarium.
We learned not just that Roman soldiers in camps in northern Germany seasoned their food with coriander, but we found out what this meant: since two thousand years ago coriander only grew in India, this spice must have been transported along the Silk Road via Egypt, bought in a market in Rome and carried, on foot, up into northern Germany to be sold.
The students were then offered the unique opportunity to try on Roman armour and equipment, including heavy chainmail weighing nearly 10kg!
Pupils were bursting with questions, and left excited about a culture that has done so much to shape our own.
