As the marauding Roman army came into sight over the hill, their mass invasion gathering pace through the misty morning sunrise, every man, woman and child ran for solace or sanctuary from the brutality which would lie ahead.
Luckily on this on occasion, it was only pupils from Bristol’s Wallscourt Farm Academy re-enacting a Roman invasion.
Sixty pupils from Year 5 got into the Roman spirit during a class visit to Caerleon Roman Fortress. Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths encompass the archaeological ruins and sites of the Legionary Fortress of Isca Augusta spread across the town of Caerleon, near the city of Newport, South Wales.
Pupils took part in a Roman boot camp, where a member of staff from the fortress took pupils through want it would be like to be a roman soldier, back in the day. They also took time to explain the other roles and jobs within the Roman army.
After being kitted out with shields and practice swords, pupils also learned war manoeuvres such as the Roman tortoise formation, a type of shield wall formation commonly used by the Roman legions during battles, particularly sieges.
They also learned about the Roman Orbis – circle in Latin which saw the Roman legionaries form a circle formation. The Roman legionaries used their huge shields to form a shield wall of circular shape. The commanders, standard bearers, and archers were inside the circle. Pupils also toured and looked at the remains of a roman bath house.
The visit was designed to help pupils understand how the Romans were able to invade Britain so successfully and to understand the Roman legacy. When pupils returned to the classroom, they had answer two questions, what can we learn from the ancient Romans? And would you like to be an ancient Roman?
Sally Doughty and Isobel Arken, class teachers at Wallscourt Farm Academy, said, “The learners really enjoyed the day and being so active and hands on helped them to understand everything we have been learning about in the classroom.”