Roman board games at the Baths.

After writing about ball games enjoyed by Roman visitors to the baths, we looked at board games played while relaxing beside the various pools.

Counters and dice from the Roman baths at Caerleon, Wales

The Romans played many different gambling and board games using dice, counters and marked boards. Some of these objects have been found when archaeologists have investigated the drains, pools and buildings around their baths. Dice were usually made from bone or wood, while counters were made from bone, pottery, stone or glass. Gameboards were mostly wooden but could be marked onto stone blocks or clay tiles.

Gambling games included Tali (knucklebones) and Tesserae (dice), while board games included Ludus Latrunculi (little robbers), Calculorum (pebbles), Ludus Duodecima Scripta (twelve lines), Tabula (board), and Merels (nine men’s morris). While the Roman rules for these games are not well understood, versions of many of these games are still played today.

Roman tali made of glass and rock crystal. Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.

Tali were originally the knucklebones of sheep or goats but were later made from other materials. They were tossed as a group of four, and each side had a value of 1, 3, 4 or 6.

Tesserae was played with three dice. The numbers on the dice were placed so that opposite sides added up to seven. Some dice have been found which have lead inserted in one side to unbalance them and make them fall to show a particular number.

Ludus Latrunculi was a game of military tactics played with coloured counters on a board marked with squares. Similar to chess, the goal was to surround and capture the other player’s counters.

Calculorum used the same board as Latrunculi but with many more counters. To win the game, a player had to make a row of five counters across, down or diagonally.





Board used for Ludus Latrunculi and Calculorum.

Image: St Albans Museum


Ludus Duodecima Scripta had two players each with fifteen counters. Players threw dice to move counters along marked rows, then off the board. Many counters could occupy the one space and single counters sent back to the start. Tabula was similar but used twelve columns.

A Merels board consisted of three squares joined by extra lines. Two players each placed nine counters in turn on the board and moved them along the lines to make rows of three. This allowed the removal of one of your opponent’s counters. The game was won when a player had taken all but two counters.

Stone carved with Merels game. Image: Creswell Heritage Trust

Nicola Pullan, intern from the University of Sydney

Cold Conservation and Consolidation

Winter conservation signage

It’s been a while now since I took on the challenge of resetting the secondary Roman paving on-site. Since starting the task I have managed to reset quite a few pieces around the Great Bath although things halted over the winter due to the cold climate. Did you know that it recommended that you only use a lime based mortar between the months of April to November otherwise it won’t set properly? The Romans did…..

‘Repairs to be carried out without interrupting the flow of water are primarily those involving the use of concrete, work with which should be done in appropriate seasons and the product should be of durable quality. The suitable time for working with concrete is from the 1st of April to the 1st of November; but it is best, nonetheless, to leave off temporarily during the hottest part of summer, because moderate weather is needed for adequate absorbency of moisture and for cohesive solidity (intense sunlight causes premature setting no less than does frost). No material requires closer attention than that which is required to withstand the action of water; a reliable quality must therefore be demanded in such work, in accord with the rule which all know but few observe.’

(Sextus Iulius Frontinus - On The Water Management of The City Of Rome 123)

If you want to learn more about conservation here on site why not take a look at some of our previous blogs on the topic (links listed below)

Lime

http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/its-all-about-lime.html
http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-all-in-mix.html

Objects

http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/conservation-consternation.html
http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/how-to-let-your-objects-know-you-care.html

Monument

http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/monument-in-mist.html

Helen Harman - Collection Assistant

The Games the Romans Played

Glass ball

 This week we are preparing for the February half-term family activity at the museum. We will be looking at Roman entertainment and leisure so I have been researching some interesting facts about the games which Romans played when they visited the baths.

For the Romans, visiting the baths was both an enjoyable social time and a way of getting clean. Visitors went to the baths to bathe, exercise, meet friends, chat, relax and play Ludus (board games). Use of the baths was not limited to only one group of people but included senators, soldiers, merchants, workers, families and slaves.

After bathing, visitors could relax in the alcoves to eat and drink, discuss business, and gamble or play board games. Romans were very keen on gambling and board games. Historians think that many of these were played while socialising at the baths. Entertainers such as musicians and jugglers may also have been walking around.

The half-term holiday activity will be looking at board games played at Roman baths, but we have also found out about the ball games which the Romans enjoyed.

Ball games were often played for exercise and, although we are unsure of the exact rules for many of these, it is obvious that at least one needed a lot of skill to play. This game was called Trigon and was a throwing, batting and catching game between three players. The most skilful players would bat or catch with their left hand, and sometimes the game was played with a ball made of glass.

Hand holding a glass ball

Historical texts tell us of a catching game, probably Trigon, which was played in the baths of Trajan by a man named Ursus who used a ball made of glass. An inscription tells us that the ‘people approved with greatest applause’.

Roman balls have names, such as trigon, pila, follis, paganica and harpastrum depending on their size and use. They were made of many different materials. Bouncing balls, like the follis, were made from pig’s bladder wrapped in leather or from animal sinew wound into a ball and covered with leather for protection.

Other balls were made from chopped sponges or linen and hair, then wrapped with string and cloth, and often covered with shaped and sewn pieces of cloth. These balls would not have bounced at all well and would possibly have been used for catching games.

Nicola Pullan is a visiting researcher from the University of Sydney.

Ref.

http://www.aerobiologicalengineering.com/wxk116/Roman/BallGames/trigon.html

Glass ball images
Fagan, Bathing in Public in the Roman World, 195–196. On the glass ball game and interpretations.

Not Treasure?

Mesolithic flints from the Sacred Spring

So you’ve read last week’s blog and you don’t have treasure. What is it then? Something you have found in your garden or whilst out walking and you want to know a bit more about it? Maybe the Portable Antiquities Scheme could help?

What is the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)?

The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a voluntary scheme to record archaeological objects found by the public in England and Wales.

What are the aims of the scheme?

1. To advance knowledge of the history and archaeology of England and Wales by systematically recording archaeological objects found by the public.

2. To raise awareness among the public of the educational value of archaeological finds in their context and facilitate research in them.

3. To increase opportunities for active public involvement in archaeology and strengthen links between metal-detector users and archaeologists.

4. To encourage all those who find archaeological objects to make them available for recording and to promote best practice by finders.

Am I legally obliged to report all my finds?

No. The Scheme is entirely voluntary. However, you must report material which constitutes Treasure, or which you believe may be Treasure (see next week’s blog).


Will the PAS take my finds from me?

No. They only want to record information about your finds.


What will I gain from reporting my finds?

Your local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) will be able to offer you:

• finds identification (either personally, or after consulting a specialist) and recording

• advice on the Treasure Act 1996

• advice on conservation and storage

The FLO will also be able to inform you of the importance of your material for the understanding of our history.

What type of archaeological finds do they record?

They would like to know about everything that you have found - not just metal objects. They record all objects made before about 1700 and are selective in recording more modern finds.

I often find worked flints and pieces of pottery as well as metal objects. Would they like to see these as well?

Yes - because these finds also provide important archaeological information.

What type of information about my finds do they want?

They would like to record details of the objects that you have found, including a detailed description, its weight and measurements. They would also hope to record where and how they were found, and photograph or draw your finds.

How long will this take?

Generally the Finds Liaison Officers prefer to borrow the finds for a time, so they can research and record them properly. You will be issued with a receipt, whilst they are in their care.

Residents of Bath and North East Somerset Residents can contact Kurt on the details below, or please click on http://finds.org.uk/contacts  to contact the local Finds Liaison Officer for other areas.

Kurt Adams
Finds Liaison Officer - Gloucestershire & Avon
Bristol City Museum, Queens Road, Bristol Queens Road Bristol Gloucestershire BS8 1RL
Work T: 0117 922 2613
E: kurt.adams@bristol.gov.uk

For more information on the subject please click on the links below:

http://finds.org.uk/treasure

http://finds.org.uk/conservation

http://finds.org.uk/database

Treasure?

Following on from last weeks blog on the Beau Street Hoard this weeks blogs discusses in brief what to do if you find something that you think might be treasure….

Coins from the hoard

Who do I contact?

Your local Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) is normally the main point of contact for Treasure finds (details of your local FLO can be found at www.finds.org.uk)
You will need to provide wherever possible the equivalent of a six-figure National Grid Reference (100m2).

What objects do not qualify as treasure?

• objects whose owners can be traced

• unworked natural objects, including human and animal remains, even if they are found in association with Treasure

• objects from the foreshore which are wreckage

• single coins found on their own

• groups of coins lost one by one over a period of time

If you are in any doubt it is always safest to report your find. Your local Finds Liaison Officer will be glad to record all archaeological objects that you find.

What happens if the find is treasure?

If the institution or individual receiving the find on behalf of the Coroner believes that the find may be Treasure they will inform the British Museum or the National Museum Wales.

What if a museum wants to acquire my find?

The Coroner will hold an inquest to decide whether the find is Treasure. If the find is declared to be Treasure then it will be taken to the British Museum so that a valuation can be recommended by the Treasure Valuation Committee: this amount is what a museum will pay to acquire the find.

Who is eligible to receive a share of the reward?

• the finder who has obtained permission to be on the land from its owner, and acted in good faith

• the landowner

• the person who occupies the particular site as a tenant of the owner (unless this is precluded by the terms of the tenancy agreement)


Who is not eligible to receive a share of the reward?

• an archaeologist who makes a Treasure find

• a finder or a landowner who has acted in bad faith, and not in accordance with the Treasure Act Code

of Practice, may expect a reduced share of the valuation, or none at all

(for more on the Treasure Act follow this link http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/24/contents)


How long will it take before I receive my reward?

The period between the find being received by the Coroner and reward should not be longer than twelve months (provided no challenges are made), although it may be necessary to exceed this period in exceptional cases, such as large hoards of coins or finds that present particular difficulties.


For more information on the subject of treasure please follow this link http://finds.org.uk/treasure

Beau Street Hoard

Coins from the hoard

We know a lot of you are interested in the developments and process of acquiring and conserving a hoard found here in Bath. Found by archaeologists in 2007 on the site of a local building development this hoard has attracted national and international interest.

A stone lined pit in the ground held the hoard of 15,000 coins, separated within 8 leather pouches. What makes this hoard interesting is that it was set in a Roman building within a town.

There is a campaign to raise the necessary funds to purchase and conserve the hoard. With the Heritage Lottery Fund on board we can now begin to raise the profile of this campaign and ensure further conservation work and research is carried out on the hoard so we can understand it better. As part of this process a temporary exhibition is going to be put up in the Sun Lounge (part of the Pump Room complex on this site) and it will be free for all to view so if you are in town do pop in to take a look.

For up to date and in depth information on the conservation process and background information follow this link
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/press_releases/press_releases_2012/bid_for_roman_coins.aspx

http://blog.britishmuseum.org/category/conservation-2/beau-street-hoard/

For more information on the campaign please follow this link

http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/beau_street_hoard.aspx



Helen Harman - Collections Assistant

Display now up do come and take a look!

Update from behind the scenes

We have been very busy behind the scenes in the Collections Office at the Roman Baths.

Coin case Kings Bath Corridor

In the past year all the displays along the King’s Bath Corridor have been updated and two new display cases have been installed. With the completion of the King’s Bath Corridor we can now say nearly all of the museum cases have been updated and we have a lot more objects out from store and on display to be enjoyed by everyone.

It has taken the input and cooperation of a lot of different people from designers and contractors, curatorial and collection staff, operations and visitor services as well as mount makers and conservators to make all of this happen. We also have a dedicated team of volunteers who help us choose and research objects selected for display….

Have you been to visit us recently? If not why not put us on your to-do list for this year – you won’t be disappointed and we would love to see you. Why not arrange your visit to coincide with a Behind the Scenes Tour? You will be able to see first-hand the work that goes into presenting a museum and visitor attraction and you will have the chance to get up close and personal with the objects we have in store…

East Bath Store

For more information on the coin case shown above follow this link
http://bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/coins-from-sacred-spring.html


For future tour dates follow this link
http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/behind_the_scenes_tours.aspx


Don’t forget to like our Facebook Page for all the latest events and information
https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheRomanBaths 

Seven Dials - Two Beautiful Bone Handles

The area of Seven Dials is just beyond Bath's Roman city walls. It forms a cross section through the defensive ditches that protected the city until the end of the English Civil war. During the next few centuries the ditch became a town dump and in the 20th century the site contained a night club and garden centre.

A dig was commissioned in the 1990's on the cleared site prior to the building of Sainsbury's supermarket which occupies the site today. Some of the most interesting finds from this dig were two unusual bone handles.

[A photograph of the two handles]

The first find is a handle made of bone with carving suggesting plant stalks, possibly wheat, tied in a bundle. It has a drilled hole at the end which would have held the metal blade. The end shape may have been used to hold a loop allowing the knife to be suspended from a fastening.

The second find is a handle of carved and turned ivory. It has inlay of green stained ivory and amber. Three sizes of amber suggest that the material may have been turned into a rod and sawn into discs. This may show an element of mass production in the making of these handles.

Although now worn away, showing the item was used regularly, the second handle has etched decoration. Together with the inlay this makes a pattern of flowers and leaves. Similar patterns exist on other handles elsewhere. This, together with the layer In which it was found, shows a likely date of the early to mid 1600's.

[Reconstruction of the second handle.]

This is a reconstruction based on study of the artefact. Deciphering the pattern was made harder by the heavy wear on the item. The blade is based on those from similar knives. The handle could also have been from a fork or a spoon.

As shown in the reconstruction, either handle may have been longer due to a metal bolster between the handle and blade. A copper fragment from the site showing traces of gilding may have been a part of this.

Both handles were most likely knives. Although they are quite small compared to modern cutlery the size is consistent with other examples of the same age. One reason for the small size was that paired sets of a knife and fork or even two knives were designed to be portable as people carried their cutlery around with them. Finely made and decorated sets were used to show off wealth.

Will - Collection Volunteer

Happy New Year!

We will be back on January 9th 2013

In the meantime if you would like to look at blogs from the past just click on the timeline (top left) or choose from the many labels as you scroll down (on the right).

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Look out for more blogs in the new year!

In the meantime if you would like to look at blogs from the past just click on the timeline (top left of the page) or choose from the many labels as you scroll down (right of the page).



Tuesday Time Tables – Modern Monsters and their Roman Myths

And so we came to our last Tuesday Time Table event of the summer and I chose to take the evening in a very different direction.

As an English graduate, I am passionate about writing in any form; you name it, I’ll have read it! So, stories, myths and fables were the clear themes for me to explore. But how to link it to the Romans? And how to create an interesting handling session with this theme?

Perseus and Medusa

 
The Roman period is rich in myth and legends, often referring to the creation of the great city of Rome. These Roman narratives often focus on the trials and tribulations of humans, who possess a divinely ordered destiny and often this comes with occasional intervention from the gods. Frequently, these stories are equipped with ferocious beasts that must be vanquished by the stoic hero. There are hundreds of stories, with masses of mythical characters, creatures and moral endings. So, finding stories to use for the handling table was effortless; the real difficulty came in whittling down which stories to pick! I chose the following:

- Romulus and Remus, raised by a she-wolf

- Medusa and Perseus

- Hercules and the snakes

- Salus and the snakes

But finding the objects? In the vast museum collection, which objects could combine with these stories? After trawling through the collections database I came across a selection of coins (depicting Romulus and Remus suckled by a wolf and Salus feeding a snake respectively), a medal (showing Medusa fleeing from an unknown figure) and the remains of a wolf’s tooth. Despite countless searches, no object could be found relating to the story of Hercules. In place of an object, I brought in gummy snakes instead that visitors could freely sample. So even if the visitor didn’t enjoy the handling table, they could walk away with a sweet taste in mouth!

On the evening of the event, I was nervous; would the evening be a complete failure? But as the visitors came to the table, all demonstrated a keen interest in both the stories and objects. Though many recalled the stories, some visitors had never heard them and were enthusiastic to listen to the tales. Children, in particular, enjoyed the table, loving the monsters and the sweets that accompanied them. Over the course of two hours, 92 visitors came to the event; it was a great success but it unfortunately this meant there were no celebratory sweets left over for me to nibble on!

Fiona Davies

Tuesday Time Table - Decorative Plants for the Roman Garden

A number of plants were used for decorative purposes although many were also used to freshen the air inside houses. Ivy, myrtle, box, bay and rosemary as evergreens were particularly favoured as decorative plants as they required little water.



Citron


• Acanthus was used as a ground-covering plant on banks and borders
• Bay-Laurel
• Box was used extensively around the garden as boundaries and was often shaped in formal gardens
• Citron was grown for decoration rather than being eaten. It was also used for medical purposes
• Cucumber
• Cypress
• Holly
• Ivy
• Jupiter’s Beard
• Madonna Lily
• Maidenhair covers the ground very well
• Mint
• Moss
• Oleander
• Myrtle - beautiful scent, flowers as well as useful berries
• Periwinkle, another excellent ground-coverer
• Pine
• Plane trees provided shade and were used in groves and shaded walks such as at the Academy in Athens
• Rose
• Smilax
• Southernwood was praised for its golden flowers which are heavily scented and its grey-green foliage
• Strawberry tree (not strawberry bushes) was reminiscent of Lychees. The fruit could be eaten but not very easily
• Vine
• Violet

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Flowers and Foliage for Garlands, Wreaths and Chaplets

Garlands (strings of flowers) were used to decorate places of worship, gardens and courtyard walkways and made for special occasions such as birthdays and weddings. Wreaths and chaplets (circles of flowers and foliage) were intended for feast days and banquets and would have been strongly scented. Wooden ‘frames’ made from flexible young trees and branches were worked to form a chaplet, then decorated with flowers. If no fresh flowers were available owing to the season, dried flowers could also be used. Evidence in mosaics shows the seasons, represented by women, wearing chaplets made of flowers and foliage associated with that specific season.

Iris

• Ivy, smilax and vine would have been woven together with seasonal flowers and foliage (sometimes fruit!) to create garlands and decorations for gardens and walkways.
• Mulberry and fig provided the wood for chaplet frames
• Narcissus, roses, lilies and larkspur, were often combined
• Parsley stalks and flowers were woven together to create a very fragrant and lasting chaplet.

Did you know? Parsley only flowers if grown in a green house or warm climate

• Rose and violet was a favourite combination
• Amaranth
• Anemone
• Casia
• Chrysanthemum
• Fennel
• Hesperis
• Hyacinth
• Iris
• Marjoram has a strong and very pleasing scent
• Melilot
• Mint was scattered on the floor, used in chaplets and stuffed into cushions to freshen the air
• Oleander
• Periwinkle very pliable stems and a beautiful array flowers
• Quince
• Rosemary
• Saffron
• Southernwood
• Thyme

Julie

Tuesday Time Table - Plants used for Roman Perfumes

Perfume was a touch of luxury. Flowers, leaves and other fragrant plants were boiled down and then mixed with oil such as olive, myrtle, laurel, cypress and terebinth-resin to make a scented oil. To preserve perfume and to stop it from evaporating salt and gum were added.

Saffron Crocus

• Roses were an absolute favourite and attar of roses, or rose oil, was imported from Phaselis in Turkey (the centre of its production) especially for this purpose.
• Casia
• Fenugreek
• Iris
• Lily could also be used to make a skin-cleansing mask by mixing its oil with honey or roses
• Marjoram
• Narcissus
• Nard
• Quince
• Saffron
• Spikenard
• Styrax

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Plants used for Bee-Keeping

As the production of honey was important (sugar was not available in Europe at that time) bee-keeping was highly regarded. Certain plants were used to attract bees and thereby aid pollination of fruit trees and to keep bees kept in hives healthy and well fed.

Rosemary

• Apiastrum balm soothes bees by being rubbed onto the hive
• Beans
• Casia
• Cerintha
• Cunila
• Poppy
• Rose
• Rosemary and trefoil was planted to provide ‘medicine’ to bees
• Thyme was used as a food source for bees
• Tree medick
• Vetch
• Violet

Julie

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Plants for Wine

Wine was produced from various plants, including grape vines. The production of wine from grapevines was undertaken by families who owned large gardens as it was only feasible to produce wine if enough space was given to vines. Some of the more unusual plants for winemaking are listed:

Mulberry

• Asparagus
• Carrot
• Catmint
• Cedar
• Cornflower
• Cypress
• Dittany a form of Marjoram / Oregano
• Juniper
• Laurel/bay
• Lavender
• Marjoram
• Medlar
• Mint
• Dried Mulberry
• Nettle
• Parsley
• Pear
• Pine
• Pomegranate
• Rose
• Rue
• Sage
• Terebinth
• Thyme
• Turnip
• Valerian

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Plants for Medicines

Many medicines would contain a variety of ingredients, with different parts of the plant being crushed into powder (in a mortarium) and then mixed with oil to apply externally or added to wine to make a liquid remedy. Plant material was boiled down to create a liquid or a paste and often honey would be added as a sweetener to a medicine meant to be drunk.

Acanthus

• Acanthus was usually a decorative plant but its roots could be cooked and applied as a poultice for burns, sprains and gouty limbs

• Basil was eaten to ease flatulence

• Cabbage in various forms has been accorded no less than 87 different cures ranging from ingestion, infusion and application by Pliny the Elder

• Hemp/Cannabis ripe seeds were used as a contraceptive

• Hollyhock, even though more commonly used as a herb, was also made into an ointment to treat wasp and bee stings

• Marsh Mallow was crushed and boiled in wine, which thickened due to the mallow,and was applied to the skin as a poultice to treat bruises and tumours, or could be drunk to soothe toothache

• Mustard was used to cure snake bites, mushroom poisoning, toothache and stomach ailments, to soothe asthma, epilepsy, bruises and sprains

• Onion, due to its eye-watering effect, was thought to improve poor vision and if mixed with rue and salt it was applied onto dog bites

• Sweet Flag could be used on its own or in combination with terebinth-resin (turpentine) to treat coughs, with the smoke being inhaled through a funnel

• Valerian, just as today, was used as a sleep-inducing medicine, with its petals being scattered between bed sheets. It could also be used as a dusting powder if dried and mixed with dried lily petals

• Willow contains salicylic acid, the main ingredient in Aspirin, and was used to treat fever and pain

Julie

Tuesday Time Table - The Roman Kitchen Garden

Flowers were generally not found in early Roman gardens as they were used predominantly for vegetables and fruit but the poppy is an exception as its seeds were cultivated for bread making. Unlike today vegetables and fruit were only available in certain growing seasons and as no refrigerating facilities existed, many vegetables were pickled. Here are a few plants found in a kitchen garden:

Cabbage

• Cabbage, including kale (also used for medicinal purposes)
• Asparagus
• Almond
• Anise
• Artichokes
• Beans
• Beet
• Brussel sprouts
• Catmint
• Cherry
• Chives
• Coriander
• Cucumber
• Dill
• Endive
• Fennel
• Fig
• Garlic
• Hazelnut
• Hemp/ Cannabis used to produce ropes and hunting nets ....
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Mallow
• Marjoram
• Medlar
• Mint
• Myrtle was used as a form of pepper, which was not yet widely available as an import from the East
• Olive
• Onion
• Parsley
• Peach
• Pear
• Plum
• Pomegranate
• Quince
• Radish
• Rocket
• Rue
• Saffron
• Thyme

Myrtle

NB: Many plants on the various lists will appear more than once as they were used as a food source as well as for medical, ritual and ornamental uses as boundaries were fluid between some of these categories.

Julie

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Gardens

My name is Julie Allec and I am on a work placement with the Roman Baths Collections Team as part of my MA in Museum Studies at Leicester University. As part of the placement we were asked to do a Tuesday Time Table and I chose the topic of ‘Roman gardens: their plants and uses’ as I have just recently rediscovered my love for horticulture ( the last time I was regularly active in a garden was in primary school, believe it or not!).

Me and my Time Table

This week will be an introduction into the Roman garden in general.

The Roman garden (hortus) has always been an important part of the family home, although it was originally a vegetable plot rather than a decorative garden. Having a ready supply of vegetables meant self-sufficiency and therefore the garden had a certain sanctity attached to it. Before tending to the garden certain Gods had to be called upon and rituals performed to avoid a failed harvest. The hortus was located next to the house for easy access and its beds were marked by raised edges. A cistern collected rain, which was used to water the garden.

Within the towns and cities of the Roman Empire space was a rare commodity, but a garden that could supply food for the family table was even more important. The first type of housing incorporating a garden in a strict manner of layout can be dated back to the 4th and 3rd century BC and was discovered at Pompeii.

Most plants found within a Roman garden either originated in one of the provinces of the Empire or came from an area that the Empire traded with.

Since my research into the Roman hortus, or garden, yielded a lot of interesting information I decided to develop separate blogs to give you an insight into: kitchen garden; plants used for medicines, wines and cordials; bee-keeping and perfume production; chaplet-making; decorative plants and plants used for religious purposes. These will be released each week on a Wednesday  for the next few weeks. Today and for the next two weeks there are two per Wednesday (AM/PM) as some blogs are shorter than others - the last two will be released individually.


Julie

Tuesday Time Table - Roman Textiles

The variety of cloth in the Roman period was not as diverse as today. The Romans only had cloth made from both animal and vegetable fibre, i.e. wool, silk, flax and cotton. Their availability determined their value, for example, as silk cocoons were difficult to find silky cloth was very expensive.

Now for a little bit on how the people of the past created thread and how they made cloth. The Romans used mainly five or six different sources of material to make thread. The most common was wool, which is made from a sheep’s fleece, carded using combs and then spun using a drop spindle.

Mulberry Moth

Silk is also an animal fibre, is spun by an insect called the mulberry moth. When it is a caterpillar it eats the leaves of the mulberry tree and weaves a cocoon of silk thread around itself. Man releases this thread by boiling the cocoons.

Combing Flax

Obtaining thread from flax and hemp is a more labour intensive process. Fibres are taken from the stems of these two plants by submerging them in water and then by beating the dried stems. These two phases soften the hard outer stem which can then be removed more easily. They are then combed and spun into a thread. While hemp was a fibre of low value more suitable for ropes and linen, the cloth made from flax fibre was a luxurious fabric often worn by priests.

Cotton Flower

Cotton comes from the cotton plant. As it ripens woollen seed balls form and they are then picked by hand. This fibre, like wool, is then carded and spun to obtain a thread. Cotton was a rare and luxurious fabric in the Roman period and it was imported from India and southern Egypt.

Roman Loom

Using a loom, a number of threads are then woven together to make cloth. The loom is the frame that supports the threads as they are being woven together. Looms come in different shapes and sizes and they can look different as they eveolved through the centuries to suit the nature and size of the cloth being produced.

Woven Cloth

[For more on spinning see http://www.bathsbloggers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/spinning-yarn.html ]