vox populi 2021

Alex, First Form
On Monday the 30th of November,
we enjoyed a talk about life in ancient
Rome. The presenter talked about the
differences between the daily lives of
rich and poor Romans.
In Roman times, everyone went to the
baths after work or school, where they
had cold and warm baths, gardens, and
libraries to rest in. To clean off all the
grime of the day, they covered themselves
in oil and scraped it off. The rich had a
better life, often having parties and feasts.
The Roman Empire was highly dependent
on slavery as they helped families, built
structures that the government needed
and carried out heavy manual work.
The slaves could gain their freedom for
good services or when their master died.
On rare occasions, they could buy their
freedom if they had accumulated enough
money. Slaves that were freed became
known as ‘freedmen’ and could then
make their own life.
Often prisoners of war, slaves and thieves
were given a choice between being
whipped to death (they would die) or
become a gladiator (they could die or
become famous and be freed). The slaves
mostly chose the gladiator option, and
the presenter revealed a gladiator helmet.
This type of armour was very elaborate
in its design but provided very poor
visibility to the gladiators because it
covered their eyes with an iron mesh. The
Colosseum was used for many gladiator
fights but on certain occasions it was
flooded which resulted in a battle on
water with warships.
Nathaniel, Second Form
I thought the Roman soldiers talk we
had online in the BLR on Monday 30th
November, was very interesting and
I learnt a lot of little details I did not
already know.
The man giving the talk was dressed up
as a Roman soldier from ancient Britain.
He showed us some ancient Roman
snacks such as a cup of wine and an oily
mixture which you dipped bread in to,
to enhance the taste. He was surrounded
by recreations of Roman artifacts which
were an oil lamp and an amphora. In the
talk we focused on Roman Britain when
it was conquered by Emperor Claudius
for legitimacy because he had a stammer
and the best way of gaining legitimacy in
ancient Rome was to conquer new lands.
We also learnt about Boudicca who
rebelled after the Romans confiscated all
her land after her husband died because
a Roman woman could only hold land
if she had less than three children. She
defeated one of the Roman legions
stationed in Britain at the time and was
defeated by the second legion which was
fighting the Druids.
We also learnt about Cartimandua, a very
crafty queen who was loyal to the Roman
empire, but had to leave her kingdom
behind because there was a civil war and
the Romans gave her a ultimatum to fight
them, or retire and live a life of luxury in
a villa in the bay of Naples.
Tim, Second Form
On Monday 30th November, Second
Form Latin students were able to catch
a glimpse of what it was like to be a
Roman soldier. This was because of our
online Roman session with Titus. He
helped all of us understand how hard
Roman life was as a soldier, and how
small the British tribes were compared
to the entire Roman army.
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The Romans decided to come to Britain
because they had heard the myths about
all the riches that they would find here.
My favourite fact was the fact that it
took 3 years for the Romans to gather
their troops and get to Britain. This was
because they had to group legions from
all over their empire, then replace them.
Finally, they had to get across the British
channel. In my opinion, this is the best
way of learning. This is because it is
interactive and encourages everyone to
join in with the lesson.
Throughout this session, despite a few
technical difficulties near the beginning,
the Second Form were taught all about
how the British dealt with the Roman
invasion. Many of them stayed put and
did not put up a fight, however the Iceni
– lead by Boudicca – were one of the
very few tribes who were determined to
force the Romans out. Boudicca offered
the Romans a deal which accidentally
allowed them to easily take over her land.
We learned all this during the gripping
session, and we are looking forward to
next year’s Roman lesson.
Ehsen, Third Form
On the 30th of November 3rd Form
Latin took part in an adventure through
the world of the Roman Army and
medicine. From the gory and detailed
description of sophisticated Roman
medical techniques to the fascinating
world of Roman armour and weaponry,
my classmates and I thoroughly
enjoyed our virtual journey into the
ancient battlefield. We learnt about the
advantages and disadvantages of being
a soldier, and we also dove into the
reasons for someone joining the Roman
army in the first place.