A VISIT TO COLCHESTER CASTLE
Did you know that Colchester Castle was once a Roman temple? Did you know that Celtic roundhouses were made out of cow poo because it is waterproof? Did you also know that Roman armour would block all shots? Well, on Monday 7th March, Fressingfield Primary School travelled all the way to Colchester to see the castle and to learn about Boudicca’s rebellion against Nero – the Emperor of Rome.
The red group climbed down 20 steep steps as our first activity was in the castle vaults. We went back 2000 years in time to see the Roman and Celtic armour: They were very different: the Roman legionaries wore a leather tunic and, over that, they wore leather or metal armour. They also had a massive shield that blocked every attack – it went from knee to nose and you could punch with the boss. The helmet was carefully designed to no-one could cut the back, side of front of your head. However, in contrast, the Celts only wore woollen trousers but they painted themselves blue! They also made their hair stick up with a homemade hair gel. For weapons, they only had a measly sword and shield but their shield would be no use after a Roman pilum (a kind of javelin) had been stuck through it. The pilum was really interesting as it was made using a heavy iron spike and flimsy wood that was designed to break when it landed so that it couldn’t be thrown back at the Romans.
Then, we ducked down into the next room of the vaults, where we learned about Boudicca. She burned London, Colchester and St Albans because the Romans tool all of her belongings and treated her and her daughters badly. So, she bravely rebelled against the Romans. Would you do that if all your belongings had been taken?
Our second activity was looking at relic artefacts. My favourite had to be the coins of Claudius – they were gold and silver and really shiny. The mirror was beautiful but it was really had to see yourself in because it was a swirly bronze colour. There was also a log holder that looked like a dog. It held logs and air travelled up past the logs making a fire. Also there were huge white carvings from the old Roman buildings on the wall.
My favourite activity was building the Roman villa and Celtic roundhouse. The team I was on was really good at working together. We started with the roundhouse. All the sticks were put up, then we wove the walls and put the roof pieces up. Then we moved onto the Roman villa. It was tricky to get the pattern right, but we persevered and finished the fancy villa. Behind the villa were more artefacts: a piece of mosaic, a cooking pot and pieces of pottery.
Briefly, the red group went to the prisons. The cells were wooden with metal bars and there were carvings all over the walls. Also, there was a door in the middle of the room that didn’t open.
Overall, the trip was fantastic! I would suggest it would be suitable for anyone that wants to know more about the Romans and Boudicca. It was really fascinating to see and learn about the Roman armour and weapons and how each was used in battle.
By Ruby Year 6
