On Tuesday 2nd July Upper 4 visited the Roman Baths to complement their project work on the social, religious and engineering aspects of the Baths.
During the visit, students saw many different artefacts and bathing areas, in addition to extant remains of lead pipes and parts of the hypocaust system. There were a range of pools, with the Great Bath as the most impressive: the steam rising from the warm water was particularly atmospheric. A particular highlight of the museum was the beautiful bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva and the various tombstone inscriptions detailing how the Romans visited Aquae Sulis from far and wide.
The students found the ‘defixiones’ or curse tablets especially interesting, and were impressed that the mosaic floors were surprisingly intact. Many students tasted the thermal waters – a renowned health cure – despite its somewhat metallic taste! Students also engaged with a teaching session examining to what extent Aquae Sulis was a ‘normal’ Roman town.
They used their investigative skills looking at evidence of building materials, everyday objects and written sources to inform their answers, and many concluded that although the hot spring was certainly a unique feature of the town, the baths themselves were very much a typical, and very impressive, example of Roman engineering!
Thanks go to Charlotte Jones for organising the visit and to the staff who accompanied too.
