Ancient
Rome
The Ancient Rome teaching
sessions provide the
opportunity to handle
various Roman artefacts
and also to find out
about the Centurion,
Petronius Fortunatus,
by investigating his
uniform. Please be aware
that the sessions are
subject to change and
have limited availability
so be sure to book well
in advance.
For more information
about the content of
the teaching sessions
please read on…
The
interactive
guide above describes the Roman artefacts that might be handled during the
session. (Flash
plugin required).
Discover
the
trials
and
tribulations
of
life
as
a
Roman
Soldier.
This
part
of
the
session
is
based
upon
Petronius
Fortunatus,
the
Centurion
and
involves
an
investigation
into
some
replica
uniform
artefacts.
See
below
for
a
breakdown
of
information on
this
topic. Helmet:
The
Centurion’s
helmet
apparently
had
a
transverse
crest.
Crests
probably
differed
from
Centurion
to
Centurion
indicating
recognition
by
their
own
soldiers. Gladius:
Known
as
the
Spanish
sword,
presumably
adopted
from
that
country
at
about
that
time.
The
blade
was
about
5cm
wide
and
61cm
long,
suitable
for
cutting
and
thrusting
at
close
range.
The
Centurion
wore
his sword
on
the
left
side,
swinging
from
a
baldric.
The
short
sword
was
characteristic
of
a
confident,
attacking
soldier. Greaves:
The
greaves
were
leg-guards,
made
from
thin
metal,
often
bronze
and
regularly
decorated. Cingulum
Militare:
The
belt
and
sporran
were
heavily
studded
with
metal
and
the
sporran
was
made
up
of
leather
strips
which
hung
between
the
legs.
This ‘apron’ could
have
had
up
to
eight
straps,
each
with
16
studs.
Offering
little
protection,
the
apron
would
have
been
used
as
a
display
and
as
a
source
of
noise. Pugio:
The
short
dagger
may
have
been
used
for
close
encounters
if
the
sword
had
been
