The Town is Growing

Work continues on our Roman town. We have a fort, barracks, an aqueduct, stables, cistern, trees, houses, villas, warehouses on the waterfront, ships, roads and markets (the long skinny white "tents").

Still to come: temples, bathhouse, lake, arena...

Roman Mosaics

What a mess! We have been looking at the mosaic art of the ancient Romans and Greeks. What they could achieve with coloured tiles is a quite amazing! Naturally, we thought we'd have a go to experience the process in a school art kind of way, using thick card instead of ceramic tiles, and PVA instead of grout. It has been quite a challenge; it requires patience and out-of-the-box thinking to make a recognisable image out of chunky squares.

The Roman Landscape

Thanks the efforts of some happy painters, our landscape is now ready for some Roman buildings. We are first investigating Roman houses and villas which we will then make from wood and cardboard. They will be tiny, about 1 cubic centimetre for a normal house. Next, we will make some aqueducts to supply the town with fresh water.

The effect on the grass and mountains was created by using a base coat of a dark colour, then two top coats using the technique called "dry-brushing" which only paints things that stick out. The ocean was made using three shades of blue to show depth. The students blended the shades together to make more of a gradient. They added white near the coast to simulate waves.

Creating a Roman Town

As we look deeper into the lives of ancient civilisations, we are beginning to gather some information about the way they lived and the technologies they used. To help us visualise this, Room 22 has started to develop a landscape on which we will build a scale Roman town. We will endeavour to highlight some of the advances in technology that the Ancient Romans used in everyday life.

Gladiators!

After the decree by the Emperor, some Gauls were condemned to the dreaded Arena. There, terrifying, ruthless combats occurred between Gladiators. Sometimes there were no survivors.

Here is the book we are reading about Gladiators.

And here are the contestants. Pitted against each other in brutal matches!

Ave, Caesar. Morituri te salutant!

(Hail, Caesar! Those who are about to die salute you!)

State your gladiator name and begin!

 Victory!

The crowd cheers the warriors trying to spur them on.

Some are more interested in the camera.

Romans and Gauls!

The time is first century CE, when Rome ruled over a vast empire in Europe, including the area called Gallia, home of the Gauls (now France, roughly). After a Gaulish uprising, Roman soldiers took Gaulish prisoners, including a Gaulish Queen. They have been brought to Rome to hear the word of the Emperor Augustus Caesar. He shall decide their fate, though their actions in Rome may temper his decisions.

Augustus Caesar and Praetorian Guards

Roman Centurion and his soldiers.

The Gauls. Imprisoned in Rome awaiting their fate. They hope the Queen will bargain for their freedom, though they are also spoiling for a fight!

The Romans approach the prison. The Queen asks the Gauls to be polite and respectful.

While the Gauls respect their Queen, some are still planning an attack on Caesar.

Armed with only their bare hands, Gauls rush the Emperor! They are quickly subdued by the Praetorian Guards and other soldiers in the court.

Some Gauls fall to their knees in front of Caesar while some remain hostile.

The Barbarian Queen asks the Emperor for mercy and freedom. Augustus seems unmoved.

Emperor Augustus first listens to advice from Gauls and Romans before he makes his final decision on the rebel Gauls.

After the events in the video, the Emperor must decide the fate of the Barbarian Queen. He is interested in maintaining peace across the Empire. He chooses between:

• Execution. Solves one problem, but may have terrible consequences in Gallia and lead to massive Gaulish uprisings in the Empire.
• Imprisonment/Hostage. While also unpopular with the Gauls, it also allows some bargaining and might be enough of a threat to keep peace.
• Release. A kind gesture but might seem too kind. The Queen may just stir up more fighting when she returns to Gallia. Could work out if the Queen wants peace too.
• Marriage. Maybe draw the two peoples together. Maybe not. The Emperor fears that the Queen would try to assassinate him.

In the end, the difficult decision is made: keep the Barbarian Queen as an honoured hostage. She is a prisoner of Rome but will be treated with the respect due a Queen. Good call, Emperor!