I’m lucky enough to live close to Wroxeter—the site of the
fourth largest Roman city in Britain.
Now all that’s left is a few stones and bricks in a field
and it’s hard to imagine how it must have been in Roman times. However, this
weekend a group of re-enactors moved in and brought the place back to life. I
had the time of my life, chatting to all the participants and getting a glimpse
of what life in Roman Britain was like. Of course, I took loads of photos and
made pages of notes for my WIP which is set in Roman Britain.
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| Surgical instruments and wound plugs |
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| Trepanning demonstration |
For me, the highlights were the surgeon (medicus) and the
midwife (obstetrix). My mother—a former nurse—informs me that some of the
instruments used were remarkably similar to ones in use today. We saw catheters
(metal, rather than latex, obviously), a trepanning tool (used for relieving
pressure within the skull as a result of a depressed fracture) and an
eye-watering speculum. Oh, and haemorrhoid clamps!
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| Midwife's sign - a copy of a tomb relief found in Ostia. Not much doubt what's happening there! |
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| A birthing stool |
In addition to the medics, there was also a cookery
demonstration, a potter, weaving and military displays. It was so useful to be
able to chat to the participants and get a feel for the practicalities of daily
life in Roman times. An invaluable experience for a historical novelist!
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| Roman armour. I picked up a shield - it was so heavy I couldn't imagine carrying it on a 26-mile march! |
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| Potter's wheel |
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| A Roman kitchen |
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