Investigating Science and Engineering at the Roman Baths

The 9th-18th March 2012, is National Science and Engineering Week! Come to the Roman Baths and get involved.

There will be hands-on archaeological science, lots of information, displays, enjoyable experiments and a special science trail. Come and see themed handling tables on the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th between 2-4pm, by the Great Bath. These will cover various science and engineering topics, from metals and their uses, through to the wonders of the water cycle.

On Wednesday 14th March, the Baths will be open late for a very special science and engineering extravaganza. As well as the children’s trail, a variety of activities and experiments will be taking place throughout the site, hosted by our science ‘buskers’- all experts in their chosen fields.

Come and take part in the various experiments – test the temperature and pH of the water, build a voussoir arch and see a fully functioning replica Roman aqueduct in action! The ‘buskers’ will also be providing demonstrations and information about the snails in the Great Bath, conservation and Roman building with lime mortar, painting walls with pigments and binders, and even some hands-on mathematics with tiles and animal footprints.

Professor Romeo needs your help!

Our very own collections creation, Professor Romeo, will guide younger visitors through a science and engineering trail, available from the front desk every day of the week. The Professor is struggling to engineer an arch, and his trail will follow the usual route through the baths to find solutions to solve his dilemma.

The Roman Baths has always been a site of scientific enquiry, and the Romans were some of science’s greatest pioneers. The collections office would not be the same without a well-thumbed copy of Vitruvius’ Architecture, providing advice on everything from ‘the stringing and tuning of catapults’ to ‘the choice of healthy sites for cities’!

Stick around for regular science table blogs appearing here over the coming months!