This project and its actions were made possible due to co-financing by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals Romans definitions games Images and explanations Subject:History Age group: Topic:The Romans in Britain EAL Nexus resource Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. © British Council 2014 Source | This resource was originally developed by Jenny Rhodes and has been adapted by EAL Nexus.

The Romans in Britain the months in our calendar a way of heating our houses new and different food to eat mosaic picturesroads a way of carrying water writing and a number system baths and washing bricks

The Romans in Britain toiletscoinspavements glass literature and poetry jewellery pet cats games like hopscotch surgery and medicine

The months in our calendar  The Romans originally had ten months in their calendar. Some were named after their Gods (Mars, God of War), and others after numbers (September, 7th month of the year).  Later two more months were added and named after Emperors Julius and Augustus

© British Council 2014 JanuaryJanus, god of doors This months opens the year Februaryfebruare = to purify Roman month of purification MarchMars, god of war Start of soldiers’ year (no fighting in winter) Aprilaperire = to open Plants and trees open their leaves MayMaia, goddess of growth Plants growing fast JuneJuno, queen of the gods Goddess of weddings

JulyJulius Caesar Named after an Emperor AugustAugustusNamed after an Emperor Septemberseptem = 7Was the 7th month of the Roman year Octoberocto = 8Was the 8th month Novembernovem = 9Was the 9th month Decemberdecem = 10Was the 10th month

A way of heating our houses  Rich Romans liked to be warm, so they invented the ‘hypocaust’  Their houses had floors laid on piles of bricks with an empty space under  Hot air from fires passed around this empty space  Slaves kept the fires going

New and different foods When the Romans came to Britain, they brought new foods:  Meat: rabbit, chicken, dormice and pheasant  Vegetables: onions, garlic, leeks and peas  Fruit: apples, grapes and cherries  Herbs: mint, basil and rosemary  Nuts: walnuts and sweet chestnuts  Drinks: wine

Mosaics  Roman buildings often had floors with mosaics in  They were pictures made with thousands of tiny stones called tesserae  They had scenes of everyday life or from stories

Roman roads  Britain had no proper roads before the Romans  Roman soldiers built good roads  They were made of stones and they were often very straight  People used to travel on them in a horse and cart

Aqueducts  Romans built aqueducts to carry water from one place to another  They needed fresh water for drinking, watering crops and for public baths  Aqueducts were long stone channels which carried water from hills to towns  Some aqueducts had different levels: for walking, chariots and water pipes

Writing and numbers  Writing spread around Britain after the Roman Conquest  Roman writing has been found on tombs, mosaics, coins and walls  They also wrote on wax tablets for daily use  The Romans introduced a number system which was used for some time  We do not use it now as it has letters which makes calculation difficult, but you can still see it on some clocks

Roman baths and washing  The Romans built many public bath-houses  People went to them to exercise, wash, relax and socialise  The public had to pay to use them  They believed the waters from underground springs could cure many illnesses

Bricks for building  The Romans introduced building with bricks to Britain  The legions (soldiers) made fired clay bricks  They were made of clay and sand, shaped into a long, flat block shape  First they were dried in the sun and then baked in a hot oven called a kiln

Toilets  The Romans started using sitting toilets with running water  The soldiers sat together on a bench with holes over a big trench. Water ran in a ditch at their feet to flush waste away.  Romans did not have toilet paper but used a sponge on a stick

Coins  The Romans used coins made of gold, silver and copper  They showed pictures of emperors, owls, horses and even elephants  They had letters and numbers on to show their value

Pavements  The Romans built pavements with large stone slabs laid on layers of sand, gravel and rock  They were useful for soldiers to march on, so they didn't sink into the mud

Glass  Roman glass-makers could make blue, brown, green and clear glass  Cups and vases often had pictures and patterns on  Roman glass found in Britain is usually dug up from burial sites

Literature and poetry  Many stories, poems and plays have survived from Roman times  One very famous poet was Virgil  Here is the first page of Virgil’s Eclogues, a poem written in Latin about his farm

Jewellery  The Romans made beautiful jewellery in gold  This bracelet was a gift for someone called Juliane, and has a good luck message inscribed into it: VTERE FELIX DOMINA IVLIANE, which means ‘You be happy Juliane’

Cats  The Romans brought cats to Britain to control the mouse population  It is likely they kept them as pets too.

Games  Indoor games were popular and the Romans played board games with counters and dice  Outdoors, games like hopscotch were invented as training for Roman soldiers to become faster and stronger. They ran along a huge hopscotch pitch wearing heavy armour  Later, children made a smaller game and scored points.

Roman medicine and surgery  Roman doctors carried out first aid and simple external surgery on injured soldiers  They also used herbal medicine to cure common illnesses

calendar months hypocaust cherries apple rabbit chicken mosaic roads aqueduct writing numbers baths bricks villa toilets coins pavements glass literature poetry jewellery cats games surgery medicine

Speaking frame  The Romans made these for …  The Romans used these for…  The Romans invented these because…  The Romans built …  The Romans created…