Roman Childhood My Story

This story belongs to Riley and her mummy Michelle.

It's a tiny tale about how children, just like you,

lived in the olden days nearly 2,000 years ago.

Butterfingers.

Now it's time for Riley and Mummy Michelle

to go on a journey of discovery.

Together, they're going to find out

what life was like all those years ago.

-Is your baby having a nice bath?

-Yes.

Is she ready?

-Can you help me dry my baby?

-Bring her over here.

She's lovely and clean now and she smells good too.

Did you know, Riley, that a long, long time ago,

there were people called Romans

-and they used to love having a bath.

-The Romans?

Yeah, the Romans were from Rome

and they lived in Britain 2,000 years ago.

-Before the dinosaurs?

-Not quite before the dinosaurs, a bit after.

The Romans were people from a city called Rome

in a country called Italy.

They were very clever, brave and great at organising things.

There are no photographs of Romans.

These people are pretending to be Romans

and look a bit like them.

Some of them came to live in Britain a very, very long time ago.

Life was very different in Roman times, Riley.

I know a story about a little girl called Sabina

and her family who were around when the Romans lived.

-Do you want to find out about Sabina and the Romans?

-Yes, please.

Wow, you look amazing. So, what do you think of our Roman clothes?

They're a bit heavy and I feel like a boy.

Look at Riley and Mummy Michelle now!

They're all dressed up in Roman clothes

just like Sabina and her mummy would have worn.

Riley and Mummy Michelle look ready for their big adventure.

But where will they go?

Mummy Michelle has brought Riley to an English heritage site

called Wroxeter Roman city.

It's where lots of Roman people lived a long time ago.

It was the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain.

It looks very different from our cities, doesn't it?

So what do you think of Wroxeter Roman city, Riley?

It's got lots of bricks lying around and it don't look like a city to me.

I know, well, it's 2,000 years old, Riley. That's a long time ago.

And there's not many things still around from 2,000 years.

When the Romans went back to Rome

and left Britain, the local people took all the houses apart

and used the bricks for other things, a bit like recycling.

-So, shall we go for a look around?

-Yes, I would like to.

Riley, this looks like a hole in the ground,

but in Roman times, it was called a latrine.

Do you know what latrine is?

A place for feeding horses?

No, in Roman times they used the latrine to go to the toilet.

Some rich people had their toilet

in their own homes and everybody else had to use a public toilet like this.

-And do you know what this is?

-No.

-It's a sponge on a stick.

They'd use this to wipe their bottoms and then they'd clean it in vinegar

-and pass it on to the next person to use.

-What? Yuck.

Actually, Riley, the Romans were very good at keeping clean.

They loved having baths.

Roman cities would have buildings called bathhouses,

a bit like the swimming pool we have today.

Here are the Roman baths in Bath. Doesn't it look amazing?

If their bathhouses looked like this,

I wonder what their homes looked like.

This is a Roman villa, Riley. It was built four years ago

but it was built just as it would have been in Roman times.

Would Sabina live here?

She might have lived in a villa like this or something very similar.

Would you like to live in a house like this?

-Only if it has a proper toilet!

-Shall we have a look around?

-Yes.

I wonder what it's going to be like, Riley.

Rich Romans who lived in the country had a house

called a villa and it would have looked a lot like this one.

Riley, this is a Roman lounge. Is it like ours?

No, it isn't and the seats are not comfortable.

Have they got carpets like ours?

No, the Romans liked to show off their decorated floors. What is it?

-It's a bull's head.

-That's right. This is a mosaic.

-Mosaics? What are mosaics?

-Mosaics are tiny squares, look.

-And they make a picture out of them. Shall we make a mosaic?

-Yes, please.

Come on, then.

-Riley, what are you making?

-I'm making hearts. Can you help me?

Well, let's get some red ones.

They look just like the building outside.

-What, all broken stones?

-Yes.

-Is that a good heart?

-Yeah.

-That is really pretty, Riley.

-Well, thank you.

In Roman times, it was only boys who went to school.

But girls from rich families were taught at home

by someone called a tutor.

-Today's lesson, Riley, will be Roman numbers.

-OK.

Riley is going to get a Roman lesson just now,

just like Sabina would have done,

from Mark, who is pretending to be a Roman tutor.

The Romans didn't write their numbers like we do,

they wrote them differently.

Can you write the number two on your wax tablet?

Riley is writing on something called a wax tablet.

It was made out of beeswax

and Romans would write on it using something called a stylus,

-just like you would use a paper and pencil today.

-Very good.

That's not how the Romans wrote the number two.

They drew two straight lines instead, a little bit like your two fingers.

Can you guess how they might have written the number three?

-Three fingers.

-Can you write it on there?

-Three. Three, three, three.

Three straight lines. Well done, you. What about the number five?

The Romans didn't use five like we do. Can you see?

-Between your fingers, there is a V shape?

-Yup.

That's the number five.

They use the letter V to represent the number five.

-Does that make sense?

-Yeah.

-Good. Do you fancy doing a Roman sum?

OK, then, Riley, using your fingers, what is 5+3?

-Show me with your fingers.

-5+3.

-How many is that?

-Eight?

-Eight!

Well done. Do you want to write it down as the Romans would write it?

-Yeah.

-OK, so, we need...

-A V and...

-..a five, a V...

-..and three lines?

And three lines to make eight.

-A V and three lines.

-Very good. Well done, Riley.

Wow, Riley is very clever.

Just like the real Romans.

CHILDREN SCREAM

What's happening now? Of course, it's playtime!

Some of Riley's friends have come to try the games

Sabina would have played all those years ago.

Just do it about that high.

This is a game called trigon.

They have to throw and catch a leather ball.

The first person to drop the ball is out.

Good catch!

Yo!

Riley and Christa are now playing tropa.

They need to try and throw five nuts into a jar.

Do you think you could do it?

Oh!

It's my turn again.

OK, class, let's make some music.

Roman children were often taught by their tutors

how to play musical instruments.

Riley and her friends are playing with instruments

that look a lot like the ones

Sabina would have learned to play in Roman times.

Riley is having a bash at some cymbals.

Have you ever played with these?

Now she's shaking a Roman sistrum

which sounds just like a baby's rattle.

Roman instruments are certainly noisy

but they look like great fun to play.

Do you like making sounds with musical instruments?

Left, right, left.

Roman soldiers were the first Romans to come to Britain.

And look, here are some men who are pretending to be Roman soldiers.

Rome had a huge army

and they marched all the way across Europe to get to Britain.

As well as being good soldiers,

the Romans were also amazing craftsmen and builders.

Mummy Michelle has brought Riley to meet the men

who love dressing up as Roman soldiers.

They're going to find out what it was like

to live in a Roman camp

that marching soldiers would have built a long time ago.

I wonder what the Roman soldiers would have eaten in their camp.

-Would you like to try one of these snails?

-Ew, yuck.

Well, Riley didn't fancy trying some snails

but she is going to try marching like a Roman soldier.

She's brought some friends along and they're all practising

marching with the men just like real Roman soldiers would have done.

Testudinem, tortoise formation!

Now they're going to watch the men doing some shield practice.

The Roman soldiers would protect themselves by grouping together

and holding up their shields to form a barrier

just like these men are doing now.

It's a bit like a tortoise shell, do you agree?

Now Riley and her friends are going to try to copy the soldiers

-and make their own tortoise shell with their shields.

-Get ready...

Tortoise! That's it, that's it, that's it.

Wow! Riley and her friends make their tortoise shell

quicker than the Roman soldiers did. Good work!

Riley looks like a real Roman soldier now.

-Riley, did you have a great time finding out about the Romans?

-Yes.

Do you remember all the different things we did?

We got dressed up as Romans, and you looked lovely, Mummy.

We went to visit an old Roman city.

It was mostly old stones and bricks and didn't look like a city.

We visited a house that looked like a Roman villa.

It still had a mosaic picture on the floor.

'What is it?'

'It's a bull's head.'

Then we made our own mosaic and played lots of games

and instruments just like Sabina would have.

We went to see a pretend Roman camp.

I was offered a cooked snail.

-'Would you like to try one of these snails?

-Ew, yuck!'

Then I marched with the soldiers.

Then we watched the men make a tortoise shell with their shields.

'Ready? Tortoise!'

And I made a tortoise shell.

'Oh, superb, yes!'

-So, what did you enjoy the most?

-Doing the numbers on the tablet.

-What was your favourite part, Mummy?

-I enjoyed making the mosaic pictures,

and most of all, spending time with you.

Shall we get changed into our normal clothes?

Yes, please, because I feel like a boy.

Before we do,

-shall we have a big cuddle for a big adventure?

-Yes, please.

What a fabulous heap of fun.

That was Riley and Mummy Michelle's tiny tale

about being a child during Roman times, nearly 2,000 years ago.

Now Mummy Michelle has shared this story with Riley,

it's time for a Riley to start her very own story.

Do you know someone with a story to share?