Go Roman Theme 1: the Legionary Soldier
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PART 2 TEACHERS’ NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER LET’S INVESTIGATE NOTES AND OBJECT CHECKLIST GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER Men from three ‘legions’ of Roman soldiers feet leather sandal-like boots with studded were stationed in Scotland in the Antonine soles. They were not supposed to marry, period: the Second Legion, the Sixth Legion but many did and their families followed the and the Twentieth Legion. The legions were legions around and lived outside the forts in a groups of around 5,000 professional soldiers, village known as a vicus. who had committed to the army for twenty- five years. Each legion had their own symbol. Each fort on the Antonine Wall held around 500 men. When on duty, the soldiers were Legionaries were all Roman citizens. They occupied with training, patrolling the Wall and fought mostly on foot, using short swords, carrying out maintenance or administrative daggers and javelins, and were protected by tasks – as well as actual fighting if required. helmets, body armour and shields. They wore woollen tunics under their armour and on their The box contains the following replica objects on this theme: • Shoes • Sword and scabbard TEACHER SUPERVISION REQUIRED • Shield • Spear head • Legionary’s helmet TEACHER SUPERVISION REQUIRED • Body armour • Wax tablets and writing tools • Tunics • Water canteen • Dagger and scabbard TEACHER SUPERVISION REQUIRED FURTHER RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES www.antoninewall.org/about-wall/building-wall/legions-auxillary-units This website has information about the three legions based on the Antonine wall. www.nms.ac.uk/explore/games/discover-the-romans/discover-the-romans/ dress-a-roman-soldier/ This website has a ‘dress the soldier’ activity. PART 2 TEACHERS NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER 1/3 ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY 1: ACTIVITY 2: MAKE A LEGIONARY MAKE WEAPONS Create ‘paper dolls’ of legionary soldiers, and Using the real items as inspiration, pupils make a set of clothes, armour and weapons make life-size cardboard weapons, shield and for them to wear. Add lollipop sticks and turn armour. Templates for sword, helmet and them into puppets. Pupils could use different legionary badges can be found here: materials (e.g. cloth, foil etc.) to make the www.antoninewall.org/learning-centre/ clothes more real. Or you could dress Action primary/downloadable-resources Man-type dolls. Images of legionary soldiers can be found here: www.antoninewall. org/learning-centre/ primary/downloadable-resources ACTIVITY 3: ACTIVITY 4: ROMAN BOOT CAMP ROMAN WRITING Use drama to set up a Roman boot camp, Use the wax tablets to write messages. where pupils learn how to use weapons, put Download the resource Latin words and on armour etc. You could use the weapons numbers from www.antoninewall. org/ you made in activity 2. Can you drill them to learning-centre/primary/downloadable- form a tortoise or testudo formation? Take resources. This includes numbers and some photographs and then pupils could use the simple words or phrases. Pupils could also photos to create a training manual or poster. experiment with the best techniques for writing and rubbing out using the writing You could make up your own version of the tools. traditional ‘Port and Starboard’ game, using the commands in Latin below They may be interested to find out more www.games4youthgroups.com/circle- about the Vindolanda writing tablets – records games/port-starboard.html written by Romans based at Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall – at one time the oldest Here are some commands in Latin: handwritten documents found in Britain. • Ad aciem – Form battle line! (ranks facing These were written on thin slivers of wood the enemy) rather than on wax tablets. The information • Pila iacite – Throw javelins! they provide reveals a huge amount about day to day life in Roman Britain. They also • Gladios stringite – Draw swords! include a letter from the wife of one of the fort • Parate – Get ready! commanders, inviting a friend to her birthday party! • Percutite – Charge! • Testudinem facite - Form testudo! (tortoise V-Mail: Letters from the Romans and formation with shields overhead) Vindolanda Fort near Hadrian’s Wall, Katharine Hoare, 2008 is a great book for children about the Vindolanda writing tablets. PART 2 TEACHERS NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER 2/3 HANDLING BOX OBJECT CHECKLIST RECEIVED AND RETURNED THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER Tick Tick Object Quantity Notes received returned 1 x pair of adult shoes 1. Shoes 1 x pair of child’s shoes Not stored in 2. Shield 1 the box. 3. Legionary’s helmet 1 2 x shoulder pieces HEAVY HANDLE 4. Body armour 1 x body piece WITH CARE. 5. Tunics to wear 2 x tunics Child sizes underneath CHILDREN TO 1 x dagger 6. Dagger and scabbard HANDLE UNDER 1 x scabbard SUPERVISION. CHILDREN TO 1 x sword 7. Sword and scabbard HANDLE UNDER 1 x scabbard SUPERVISION. CHILDREN TO 8. Spear head 1 x spearhead HANDLE UNDER SUPERVISION. 9. Wax tablets 4 10. Writing tools 4 Received Returned PART 2 TEACHERS NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER 3/3 GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER All of these objects are replicas (copies) of LET’S 1 things worn or carried by Roman legionary soldiers when they invaded Scotland. A INVESTIGATE! Look at the objects. legionary was a highly trained professional Were they for soldier who was a Roman citizen. He protecting the soldier, served in the army for 25 years. They had or for attacking to buy their own weapons and uniform, enemies – or both? and keep them in sparkling condition. 4 3 Strike a pose - are 2 Dress up in you attacking, the objects. defending, injured, or Talk about the resting? Take a questions on the photograph as a cards for each record. object. 5 Finally, sketch one of the objects. TAKE A LOOK WHAT DO YOU THINK? • Look closely at both pairs of shoes • Do you think these would keep your feet warm? • Look at how they are the same • Do you think the Roman soldiers SHOES • Look at how they are they different wore socks? • Look at the materials they are • Why do you think there were slits made from in the leather? • Think about how these shoes tie up • What do you think the studs in the • Compare them to your shoes and bottom are for? think about how they are the same Write notes and ideas from your or different discussions in the notes section below NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER INFORMATION • Do you think these would keep your feet warm? • Do you think the Roman soldiers The soldier’s wore socks? SHOES shoes were • Why do you think there were slits called in the leather? caligae. The shoes They had slits • What do you think the studs in the with the high to let the air in bottom are for? ankle were worn by soldiers on and stop the feet Write notes and ideas from your duty. getting too sweaty. discussions in the notes section The shoes below with the closed toes are copies of shoes found at Bar Hill Roman fort. The studs in the bottom were to stop Around 70 pairs the soldier slipping of shoes have been around, and helped found at Bar Hill them last longer as fort on the Antonine they marched over Wall. Some are long distances. even for women and children. GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER TAKE A LOOK WHAT DO YOU THINK? • Look at the size and shape of the • How many different ways do you shield think a Roman soldier could use his shield? • Think about where and how you SHIELD could hold it • Why do you think the middle part was made of metal? • Pick it up carefully and feel the weight of it • Which part of the soldier would not be protected by the shield? • Look at the metal bit in the centre and think about what this could Write notes and ideas from your be for discussions in the notes section below NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER INFORMATION • How many different ways do you think a Roman soldier could use his shield? This shield • Why do you think the middle part SHIELD was known as a Rectangular was made of metal? scutum. shields like this were used by • Which part of the soldier would not legionaries. Other be protected by the shield? types of soldiers The metal had oval shields. part protected Write notes and ideas from your his hand as discussions in the notes section he held the below The shield protected shield. the soldier’s body. Roman soldiers could group together and put their shields over their This testudo heads to defend ‘shell’ was so themselves against attack strong that a from above for example chariot could be from arrows. This was driven across called the testudo – or the top! tortoise formation. GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER TAKE A LOOK WHAT DO YOU THINK? • Look at the different materials this • What materials is this helmet helmet is made of made of? • Look closely at all the different • How many sections is the helmet HELMET parts and how they are all joined made of? together • Which part of the head does each section protect? • What do you think the parts on top of the head might have been used for? Write notes and ideas from your discussions in the notes section below NOTES GO ROMAN THEME 1: THE LEGIONARY SOLDIER INFORMATION • What materials is this helmet made of? • How many sections is the helmet made of? HELMET The different • Which part of the head does each This type of sections of the section protect? helmet was known helmet protected as a galea and the skull, the back • What do you think the parts on was worn by of the neck and top of the head might have been legionaries.