On Wednesday 9th September 2015, Year 4s went on a trip to Lunt Roman Fort, an archaeological site of a Roman fort. It is located in Baginton outside Coventry, Warwickshire. The fort has been fully excavated and only partially reconstructed using turf and timber.
At the gates into the Roman Fort, we had to say a password in Latin – ‘tomacula’ which means sausages because Romans used to absolutely adore sausages! We then entered the Fort and relished two activities. First, we went into a cabin where we studied how to recruit to be a Roman soldier. Sahvan Jutla volunteered to be a Roman recruitment soldier named Marcus. A tour guide named, Rufus, helped Sahvan change into special equipment of armour that he would need to be a Roman soldier. We absorbed the information and learnt what it would be like in war.
Our second activity was to explore around the Fort. We had to march like a real Roman soldier and we entered the area where Roman soldiers would train to fight. We marched to the ditch at the front of the Fort. Another tour guide told us that if you fell into the ditch, you would break your foot! We also passed a lot of stone in the ground which marked areas where buildings had not been re-constructed.
I certainly enjoyed learning about and visiting the Lunt Roman Fort! It has helped me develop an awareness and understanding of the Roman Army and its past.
By Reis Fernandes – 4N