Year 9 Classical Civilisation and Latin Pupils Visit Bath

On Friday 17 March, the Year 9 Classical Civilisation and Latin pupils visited Bath, an ancient Roman spring that was believed to have healing powers.  At the time, the water pipes in the baths were made of lead, which slowly poisoned the Romans instead of healing them.  Bath was also a place of worship for the goddess Sulis Minerva. 

During their day at Bath, they explored the ancient building and the museum that was in it.  In small groups, they visited the three different baths, the remains of the temple that was built around the sacred spring, the statues, like the statue of the goddess Sulis Minerva, and the various artefacts and tombstones that were found at the site.  At the end, the pupils bought souvenirs (or chocolate!) at the gift shop (and they also went to a nearby fudge shop, for those who were still hungry!).

The pupils also enjoyed a workshop session; first, they learnt interesting and impressive facts about Bath.  For example, did you know that the main bath was filled at such a rate that it could fill a bathtub every eight seconds?  They then worked in small groups to decrypt the Latin messages written on various Roman tombstones found near the town, and to learn about their origins and jobs.  Lastly, the girls looked at artefacts and replicas of Roman tools and jewellery - their spoons in the medicine room, a woman's bracelet in the changing room, etc.  The pupils had a very enjoyable day and were fortunate to visit this ancient site.