On Wednesday 17th October, the Classics Department trip to Chester gave our Year 7 Latin students an excellent opportunity to put their learning into context and to bring the textbook to life.
Accompanied by nice weather, students walked around the walls of the old city, and explored the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. The groups discussed the bloodthirsty spectacle which many citizens would have considered first-rate entertainment two thousand years ago. They also learned that the soldiers posted at Deva would have also carried out their military manoeuvers here, as part of their training.
On a tour of the city, we also saw some beautiful mosaic work at the so called Roman gardens, similar to that which we might find in the home of Caecilius, head of the family whom we study in the Cambridge Latin Course textbook. Students were also intrigued by the design of the hypocaust, and they were able to explain the design principles of conduction heating.
Students took part in a very stimulating session at the Deva Experience, off Broad Street. This gave them the chance to experience what it would have been like to be a Roman solider, boarding a galley and rowing to Britain, where they would experience a new life in the barracks, packed in like sardines, eating dormice and wearing cumbersome armour. We learned also about the history of Chester through archaeology, and the layers of brickwork beneath our feet told stories lasting two millennia.
At the Grosvenor Museum, we spent some time working through topics on architecture, tombstones, jewellery, farming, military strategy and leisure time. Staff were delighted to see students supporting each other with their research and pointing classmates in the right direction as they scoured each displays for clues and information.
A warm thanks must go to the staff who supported the trip, and to the Year 7 students who thoroughly made the most of an excellent day out.
For more photos from the trip, visit the
Birkenhead School Facebook page.