Roman journeys Museum and school project. Storytelling and object handling at your school. Storytelling at the Museum of London

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1 Roman journeys Museum and school project Storytelling and object handling at your school Storytelling at the Museum of London

2 Contents Curriculum links and session descriptions 1 Practical guidelines 2 Pre-visit and follow-up activities 3 Visual symbols 4-8 Background to Roman London 9-12 Pictures Planning your journey 15

3 Curriculum links and workshop objectives History These two sessions will link to work on Roman Britain and how British society was shaped by the Roman settlements in London. Pupils will develop knowledge of the experience of men, women and children of this period. Through this they will gain an understanding of the characteristic features of Roman London (1a, 2a, 2b, 4a). Pupils will develop knowledge of the appearance and way of life of Roman Londoners. Session descriptions 1) Storytelling, object handling and clay modelling at your school Our storyteller, Richard Neville, will visit your school and during the first half of the session, pupils will have the opportunity to handle original Roman artefacts and try on replica Roman costumes. The storyteller will then involve the pupils in interactive Roman tales accompanied by music on the harp, melodian and tambor. In the final part of the session, pupils will have the opportunity to do some clay modelling of one of the objects from the session. 2) Storytelling in the Roman London gallery at the Museum of London Pupils will then visit the Museum and meet the storyteller again. They will hear more ancient tales of Roman myths and legends as they journey together through the Roman London gallery. Each session lasts 60 minutes.

4 Practical guidelines Your sessions Please check your confirmation letters which will confirm the times of the session at your school and at the museum, including any gallery time you have been allocated for your visit to the museum. If there are any problems please contact the SEN Programme Manager on or at Your visit to the Museum Arrival, cloakroom and toilets When you arrive at the Museum please check in and show your confirmation form at the information desk at the main entrance. You will be directed to the Lunch Space in the Clore Learning Centre where you will be able to leave your coats and bags and go to the toilet before entering the galleries. Please do not leave valuables in the Lunch Space. Session The session will last 60 minutes and Museum staff will show you where you need to go. Lunch Please check your confirmation letter for your allocated lunch slot. There is no eating or drinking in the galleries, so please ensure that all food stuffs are left in the Lunch Space. SEN provision The Museum is fully accessible. Parking is available for SEN groups. Please contact our SEN Programme Manager to discuss any specific needs on or at Shop The shop sells a variety of books and products to support learning, as well as pocket money items. For further details contact the shop by at shop@museumoflondon.org.uk or call Photography Photography during schools session is welcomed. You are also welcome to take general photographs within the Museum galleries, but not close-ups of individual objects. The use of flash or tripods is not permitted. These images may only be reproduced for personal or educational purposes, which include reproducing the image as a classroom teaching aid or as part of a school project. Any publication of the image for any other purpose is forbidden, which includes publication on any website. As an alternative pictures of many of our key objects are available to download from the Picture Bank on our website. Postcards and posters can be purchased from the shop and prints may be purchased from our on demand print website Risk assessments It is the responsibility of the group leader to carry out a risk assessment and teachers are encouraged to make a planning visit and to carry out their own assessment. The Museum makes regular assessments of its public spaces and activities for its own use and this document is available on request, but this is only for teachers information and does not constitute an official risk assessment. Organising your group Please ensure that you have at least one adult for every five pupils and that the adults accompany them at all times.

5 Pre-visit activities 1. Introduce the concept of different outfits for different roles/jobs using actual items of clothing. 2. Look at some reproductions of paintings and sculptures and discuss how clothing and objects in the pictures give us clues to the subject s background (e.g. rich/poor, young/old, jobs, etc.) 3. Discuss the idea of packing for a journey and different things you might take for different destinations. 4. Use the visual symbols to familiarise pupils with the key vocabulary for this session. Copy them and use them as flashcards or as a card game (snap, pairs, etc.). 5. Use the downloadable visual timetable to familiarise pupils with the different stages of their visit. The exact session times will be included with your booking information. 6. You can also browse the Museum of London online learning resources for materials to introduce pupils to the themes and concepts they will encounter during their session. These are all available in the teachers section of our website You may find the following relevant to your session: Londinium game and Digging up the Romans. Follow-up activities 1. Make a multi-media display using photos of your pupils in Roman costumes and the clay models they have made during the session. 2. Record or act out your own Roman story using instruments, costumes and props. 3. Draw round silhouettes of Roman clothing (togas, sandals, etc.). Cut them out and decorate them. 4. Make some Roman coins. They can then be used in role play and to improve numeracy skills. 5. Create a class dictionary using writing, sign language or symbols of all the new words encountered during this topic.

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11 Background to Roman London Facts and figures about Londinium Londinium was the first town in Britain. The name Londinium is of British not Roman origin. Many scholars have tried to work out what it means, but no-one knows for certain. London was a Roman city for over 350 years, from before AD50 to after AD400. New York has been in existence for nearly as long Sydney for just 200 years. The Roman emperors were in power for longer than all the kings and queens of England from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II. Londinium was by far the largest city in Britannia and occupied an area of over 330 acres (130 hectares). The Roman city wall was about 21 feet (6.4m) high and over 2 miles (3.2km) long around the perimeter. It has been calculated that some 86,000 tonnes of stone was used to build it. Who lived in Londinium? The Romans invaded Britain in AD43 with 50,000 men. They quickly took control of the South East. The River Thames was for transport between Britain and the Continent. The Romans saw this and built the town of Londinium around the river s main crossing point. The first Londoners were probably soldiers and administrators who came here to rule the new province. Classicanus, the second Procurator, came from Germany. Merchants and craftspeople followed. They did building work and supplied trade goods to the new town. At first there were probably more men than women in Londinium. Some men brought their families too. What happened to the British? The native Britons didn t leave when the Romans came. Many Britons moved to London for the new town life: to make money and perhaps improve their chances. As time went on, more Londoners would have been born here. People also moved here from the Continent throughout the 400 years or Roman rule. The army The Roman army in Britain wasn t here just to fight. Soldiers also acted as police, administrators, tax collectors and engineers. The army probably planned the town s layout and built the public buildings and roads. Who could become a soldier? To become a legionary soldier you had to be a citizen of Rome, so most of the soldiers in Britain, at least at first, would have come from abroad. Native Britons, like the natives of other Roman lands, could join the army as auxiliaries. They were allowed to become

12 Roman citizens after 25 years service in the army. Legionaries took part in big battles but mainly worked as builders, planners and administrators. If you lived in Londinium, who would you be? Out of you and 9 friends, five of you would have died before you became an adult. Only one would have lived past the age of 45. You would have been about 6cm shorter than people today. You might have been a rich merchant, a shopkeeper, a craftsperson or a slave. You would have probably have been born in Britain rather than moving here from abroad. But you may have lived in a Roman style house, spoken Latin and copied Roman hairstyles and clothes. You might have enjoyed trips to the public baths or to see games at the amphitheatre and you might have had a pet dog or cat. What were the buildings and houses like? The town hall, government offices and courtrooms were in the basilica. Next door was the forum, the market place where merchants had their offices and shops. Londinium s forum and basilica took 30 years to build. A main road led from here to the port and the bridge across the Thames. Ordinary people lived in small houses with a shop in front and workshops behind. Wealthier people s homes had wall paintings and mosaic floors. Soldiers lived in the fort, outside the main part of town. What did the Romans believe? There was an official Roman religion. They worshipped a family of gods including Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Diana. In Rome, the Emperor was worshipped as a god; in Britain he did not become a god until he died. As Romans moved around the Empire they took new gods, several of which were introduced to Britain. These included Isis from Egypt and Mithras from Persia. The Romans took on local religions and combined with their own ideas. They often paired a Roman god with a similar one from the local religion. Zeus/Jupiter - the king of the gods. Short tempered and strong willed. Cyclops - the thunderbolt. Athena/Minerva - Zeus's favourite daughter. She can do anything she puts her mind to - from weaving and sewing to horse riding and fighting. Apollo - God of the Sun. He believes in law and order and always wants to stick to the rules. He has a bow and arrow and fires it at anyone who he sees doing wrong. He also has a great love of music - as long as it's nice and quiet.

13 Hermes/Mercury The cheeky god, clever and mischievous. He is never still, always inventing and discovering things. Hades/Pluto - god of the underworld. He sits under the earth and rules over the ghosts. He is also the king of the snakes, and knows where treasure is buried. Hephaestus/Vulcan - the craftsman of the gods. Can make anything - he made a robot called Talos, and tables that run across the ground when you call to them. But he is bad tempered and difficult to talk to. Aphrodite/Venus - the goddess of beauty. Created by Zeus out of the foam of the sea. She loves to dance. Crowds of people follow her wherever she goes. Demeter/Ceres - the goddess of summer. She makes wheat grow and flowers bloom. Bacchus - the god of wine and intoxication. A dangerous god who can send people mad. Mithras - not part of the Olympian group of gods. Brought to Britain by Roman soldiers from the Middle East. He was born from a stone, and fought with a magic bull. He is a god of warfare. How did religion work in daily life? Many people had shrines in their houses with a figure of their favourite god. They believed it was important to keep the gods happy with gifts or statues. The gods could also help you get revenge on someone you didn t like by putting a curse on them. Sometimes people buried a small dead animal, such as a god, under their houses to protect the house and bring good luck. What industries were here? The population of a busy, cosmopolitan town like Londinium demanded a variety of different crafts and trades. Leather workers had workshops by the Walbrook stream. Toolmakers made tools for a range of local crafts. Residues of copper and iron working from Southwark show that successive Roman metalworkers used this area for about 300 years. Industrial pottery production has been found in the Moorgate area and on the site of St. Paul s Cathedral. Huge millstones from the Walbrook area suggest bakers were using flour from water-driven mills.

14 What about trade? Trade was vital for Londinium s early growth but there is much less evidence for it in the third and fourth centuries AD. One reason might be declining river levels, which would have made it harder for ships to navigate the Thames. But despite civil war and barbarian attacks in the north-west provinces, there is still evidence of some imported goods in Londinium. Roman coins, 307AD 310 AD

15 Roman finger ring, 1 AD 100 AD Roman jewellery ring, bracelet, brooch, necklace, hairpin, 43 AD 410 AD

16 Fragment of Roman mosaic, 101 AD 200 AD

17 Planning your journey Museum of London Free admission Open Mon to Sun 10am-6pm Last admission 5.30pm Museum of London London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN Free travel All schools within the Greater London area can take advantage of Transport for London s School Party Travel Scheme. See or call London Underground Customer Services on for details. Getting to the Museum By tube - St Paul s, Barbican, Moorgate, By rail - Liverpool St, City Thameslink By bus - 4, 8, 25, 56, 100, 172, 242, 501, 521 Travel by coach/minibus The Museum does not have a coach park. Coaches may stop briefly to drop-off and pick up at bus stops on London Wall (travelling towards Moorgate) and Aldersgate Street (travelling towards the Museum). We have disabled minibus parking spaces for blue or orange card holders. Please speak to the SEN Programme Manager when making your booking if you require a disabled parking space. Cancellation charges We are able to offer these sessions free to schools thanks to generous funding. However, any cancellations will incur a charge. For details of cancellation charges, please see