Roman Relaxation Primary History


Roman Relaxation

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-What did Romans do in their spare time?

-Did they live in luxury?

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-What were villas like?

-Was there Roman entertainment?

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-Oh, Romulus, there you are. I'm so pleased to have found you.

-My lady.

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Please, do call me Romola.

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Then you must call me Rom.

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Nice to see you, my... Romola.

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I was expecting your husband, Marcus Verimus Richmus.

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We'd planned a trip to the 21st century.

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-He was looking forward to it. He's been called away on business.

-Right.

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-Thanks for telling me.

-Don't cancel the trip.

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I thought I'd come along instead. You don't mind?

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Er...

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No. No.

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Wouldn't want to take up your time.

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Don't worry. I'm free all day.

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I thought you could entertain me until my banquet this evening.

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What's the 21st century like?

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Oh, it's very different. It's not like Roman times at all.

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-Oh, dear. How dreadful.

-Some people think it's better.

-Really? Who?

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Women, for example. They have a lot more freedom.

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-Do they?

-Yes.

-How is that possible?

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I have lots of freedom. I arrange everything that goes on at my villa.

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And I have 20 slaves working for me.

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Oh, really. You're very lucky.

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Yes, I am, aren't I?

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And I make all my own decisions.

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First thing in the 21st century, I'll visit the baths.

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It's very hot in here.

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-I'll need to freshen up. You don't mind, do you?

-No.

-Next stop,

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21st century. Mind the time gap.

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We're here. How splendid.

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-Is this the 21st century?

-It is.

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-We're in Bath.

-How exciting.

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-This isn't a bath. Surely this is some kind of street.

-It is.

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A street in Bath. Bath is the modern name for this city.

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In Roman times we knew it as Aquae Sulis.

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People named it after our baths.

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Really? Where are they? I can't see them anywhere.

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They're underground now. They're just round the corner.

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Thank goodness we've found them.

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-I love a bath. Don't you?

-Oh, yes.

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Perhaps some slaves could help me.

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I'll need my strigil to scrape off the dirt.

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And oils from the East, like the ones you sold me last week.

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-I do hope the baths haven't changed much.

-I think they probably have.

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And you won't find any slaves.

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People here don't have them.

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How very inconvenient. I thought you said

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-women had more freedom in the 21st century.

-They do.

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-So do the slaves.

-Oh.

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I suppose I could do without them.

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-Shall we go in?

-Please.

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-Rom, I can't have a bath in here.

-You wouldn't be allowed to.

-What?

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These baths are 2,000 years old.

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Tourist attraction now, visited by people from all over the world.

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-Oh. Don't people in the 21st century have baths?

-Yes, of course they do.

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Roman public baths were special.

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-Were they? And do modern people think so, too?

-Yes.

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Baths are a cross between a leisure centre and a health club and a pub.

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Just as popular with women as men.

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-Pity you can't have a bath. Have some water.

-Not if it's from there.

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No. Comes from the spring we Romans used, though.

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Cheers.

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Mmm.

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It's quite nice.

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I'm glad the water's still here.

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But I wonder how the baths got into such a state?

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Maybe my gadget could help.

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It's a jolly clever thing, isn't it?

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I hope it can tell us what happened.

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The goddess Minerva would be angry if she saw this mess.

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Before the Romans came to Britain, Bath was known for its water.

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Sick people swam here and prayed to Sulis, a Celtic goddess

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who they believed might cure them.

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When the Romans took over they had their own goddess, Minerva,

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who was also believed to have healing qualities.

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They built a temple for her right next to the baths.

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The Romans treasured their baths,

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but generations that came after them weren't so interested.

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Baths were buried and forgotten.

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In the 19th century they were rediscovered and repaired

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and people now come to see them.

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How could people let these baths be forgotten?

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-It must upset Minerva.

-It's amazing that there's so much of them left.

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The caldarium - a very hot bath.

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Tepidarium - a warm one.

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Frigidarium - freezing cold.

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Because we Romans had the hypocaust we could have hot water.

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A hypocaust? I don't think I've seen one of those.

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It's an underground heating system. We Romans used to build

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our floors on small columns.

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Warm air heated from a furnace was circulated around them.

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Anything above kept warm and cosy.

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We Romans are clever, aren't we?

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We certainly are. Maybe the goddess Minerva was clever enough

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to preserve these baths for the generations.

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-Where are we going now?

-I thought YOU made all the decisions.

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Perhaps we could visit a Roman villa. I think I'd like that.

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We might find one like mine - all lovely and newly decorated.

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-If only I could freshen up first.

-Ah.

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-There we are.

-Oh.

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-What's this?

-How they freshen up in the 21st century.

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Oh.

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How splendid.

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Thank you.

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-What are villas?

-Did all Romans have them?

-Were they in town or country?

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Rom, where have you brought me? All I can see are more ruins.

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I thought we were going to a villa.

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This is a villa -

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-Chedworth Villa in Gloucestershire.

-There's so little left.

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-Why don't 21st-century people look after their buildings?

-They do.

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This isn't one of their buildings.

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It's Roman. People from other generations didn't look after it.

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Modern people care about historic buildings, so we can visit this.

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Come on. I'll show you some more.

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But surely this can't have belonged to rich Romans.

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-Why not?

-Because it's so untidy.

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But it wasn't in Roman times. This has been under earth for centuries.

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They uncovered it 100 years ago.

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This man was digging in the woods. He uncovered signs of us Romans.

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Then archaeologists uncovered more.

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How can they tell it was Roman?

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-Well, they found evidence of a rich way of life.

-Where?

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I can't see it anywhere.

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Come on. The mosaiced bath house.

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The water shrine where they prayed.

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Farmland in every direction.

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All that is evidence of how this was once an impressive Roman villa.

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Look. This is the Chedworth dining room.

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Fantastic, isn't it? There's been some Roman hospitality in here.

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All those parties with food grown off the estate. Just picture it.

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But that's just it, Rom.

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I can't. Oh, I do wish

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people could see my villa.

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I could show them my dining room and tell them about my banquets.

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They'd love it, don't you think?

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-Yes, I'm sure they would.

-Hey! You could come and see my villa.

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We could travel back in time.

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Yes, we could. I thought you wanted to see more of the 21st century.

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I do, but I want to show you my villa first.

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And, after all, I am making the decisions today,

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aren't I?

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You certainly are.

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Here we are. This is my villa.

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Oh, it's truly wonderful. I think everyone should live in luxury,

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-don't you?

-Oh, yes. I'm sure they'd like to.

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Oh, isn't this courtyard splendid? And so fashionable.

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Just like they have in Rome.

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Come on. I can't wait to show you my frescos.

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This is my favourite room.

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-It's wonderful, isn't it?

-Yes. I like the paintings on the wall.

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They're not just paintings, Rom.

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They're frescos, the latest thing.

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The paint is made from plants,

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natural stones and animal dyes mixed with egg-whites to thicken them.

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-Delicious.

-You paint carefully onto wet plaster so they last longer.

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-What are Roman banquets like?

-Did wealthy Romans entertain?

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This is the life, isn't it?

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I love relaxing in this dining room, thinking about banquets we've held.

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My husband loves entertaining.

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We have guests most nights of the week. The food comes from the farm.

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I'm famous for my dinner parties. Perhaps you've heard of them.

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Yes. I heard about Sickius spending all night in the vomitarium.

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That wasn't at one of my dinner parties. My guests never overdo it.

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They drink a lot of wine, though.

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I know because I supply it. Comes from all parts of the Roman Empire.

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Yes, well, we have to buy some things

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like wine, olive oil, fish sauce.

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But most of the food my slaves prepare and serve

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is really very fresh indeed.

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Tonight we're having my favourite.

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Dormice cooked in honey,

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served with poppy seeds.

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Oh, lovely.

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My life is so luxurious.

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I can't possibly see how it could be any better in the 21st century.

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Yes, but you haven't really seen enough of the 21st century to know.

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Perhaps we could take a trip back there and visit another Roman site.

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Somewhere a bit more entertaining.

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Very well, Romola.

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Let's go.

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Rom...

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where have you brought me?

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It's very quiet. Are you sure this is somewhere entertaining?

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It certainly is.

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The best Roman amphitheatre in 21st-century Britain.

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-6,000 people once sat here.

-HE IMAGINES APPLAUSE

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Where's the audience now? And where's the entertainment?

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-Are there going to be gladiators? I love gladiators.

-There won't be any.

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-These people don't have them.

-Don't they?

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They find it too violent.

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-They don't like watching people being killed.

-Why not?

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It's very exciting.

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I absolutely love blood sports,

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especially a fight to the death between two brave gladiators.

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-What were gladiators?

-Were theatres used for any other entertainment?

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What entertainment can 21st-century people possibly have

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to compare with the gladiators?

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They have entertainments and celebrities.

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-They have stadiums. They're a bit like amphitheatres.

-Not like this.

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Where's it gone? It's grassed over and there are hardly any seats.

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There are Roman features. You just have to use your imagination.

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CROWD ROARS Rom,

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is any of our Roman entertainment still popular in the 21st century?

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People don't tend to like our blood sports these days.

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Some of them enjoy celebrating us. They dress up as Romans

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and put on special events and festivals. I'll show you.

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I run a company called Roman Tours.

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We put on a Roman Chester Festival.

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People come and experience

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the life of the Romans in Britain.

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It's full of everything about Romans - chariot races, gladiators,

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dancers and musicians, potters and craftspeople.

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We have three Roman legions

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to demonstrate a brief view

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of what life in Roman Britain was like.

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DECLAIMING IN LATIN

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The event's been hugely successful. It's become an annual event

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and it takes place over two days.

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Over the weekend, we usually see about 32,000 people taking part.

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We've been developing this fortress.

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We've used 68 ton of timber. It was built by six people in six days.

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Indicates how quickly the Roman army would have been able to make a fort.

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The Roman period has many aspects.

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People like to see a gladiatorial battle.

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To think people entered an arena

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and fought to the death, and the people cheered.

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It appeals to people today. They want to see the recreation.

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I'm so glad some people are still interested in gladiators. We Romans

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must've been braver than people now.

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I suppose we were, yeah. Romans are still popular in the 21st century.

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People still celebrate us and we haven't ruled Britain for years.

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What happened to us? Why did we stop ruling Britain?

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Where did we go?

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That, Romola, is a very good question.

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The Romans controlled Britain for 400 years but gave it up in 410 AD

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when their empire was being attacked by Barbarian enemies.

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The rulers and Roman army had to leave to fight elsewhere.

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Most ordinary citizens stayed.

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They lived off the land alongside other settlers

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when the Romans no longer ruled.

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-Now, this building does look Roman. Where are we now?

-This is

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-the Roman Legionary Museum.

-Smarter than the other buildings

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-we've seen.

-It is. It's not Roman.

-Isn't it?

-It's made to look Roman.

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It contains information about the Roman army.

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Well, it's been most entertaining visiting the 21st century.

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But I prefer Roman times.

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I couldn't do without slaves or not being able to see gladiators.

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-Life would be very different.

-Let's go back to the villa.

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-You don't mind, do you?

-Course not.

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After all, you are the decision maker.

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