About the project

‘Learning from the Ancient Romans’ is a project based in Sunderland, led by MBC Arts Wellbeing. Using the lens of the ancient Romans who inhabited Britain, we hope to lead the participants through a journey of learning and discovery.

This project began with a series of outings to the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall – the ancient barrier that divided Roman–England from the ‘barbarians’ in Scotland. At the heritage site, our participants followed in the Roman footsoldiers’ footsteps and marched up to one of the mile castles. This walk was guided by Kevin, a historian and Roman expert from Ancient Britain. From there, they explored Vindolanda – the ancient Roman fort – where they learned about what it took to live in the Roman era.

The outings to Hadrian’s Wall and Vindolanda fort were followed by a series of Roman-inspired workshops, covering activities that the Romans would have performed daily. Many of these activities explored skills that are often taken for granted, while the others provided participants with hands-on ‘Roman experiences’ that would have otherwise been less easy and a ordable to access.

These workshops include learning how to repair clothes and make garments, cooking using leftovers and sustainable materials, creating ceramic pots and gurines, crafting reusable wax writing tablets, and more.

This whole project is devoted to the goal of developing the skills of its participants, whilst enabling them to improve wellbeing, make new friends and bridge a connection to their heritage.

Who were the romans?

The ancient Romans were a people who lived between 625BC and 476AD – that's over a thousand years! Their empire began in the Italian capital of Rome, hence the name 'Romans'. It spanned over 5 million square kilometres, from the Middle East to Britain.

The Romans were ruled by a series of emperors – some of whom you may have heard of – from the conniving Julius Caeser to the brutally e cient Trajan, and to the morally questionable Nero who saw the Great Fire of Rome and the Briton's rebel.

The ancient Romans were innovative and successful, widely known as being one of the greatest empires of all time. They successfully conquered and controlled a large portion of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Their success can be attributed to their willingness to learn from the people they conquered, collecting knowledge and adopting new skills and technology as they surged outward.

The ancient Roman’s willingness to learn from other cultures has inspired the creation of this project. By emulating the Romans’ ability to adopt other ideas and cultures, we hope to introduce our participants to di erent ways of thinking about themselves and their cultures in relation to not only geography and history, but also society and ecology.

Hadrian's wall

The project began with a walk-up to a wall. However, this wasn’t just any wall. This was Hadrian’s Wall, named after the emperor who ordered its creation – Emperor Hadrian.

Emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD) ruled the Roman empire from 117 to 138 AD, and is often seen as the third of the ‘Five Good Emperors’. He followed on from Emperor Trajan, taking over a powerful and wide empire. Nevertheless, all was not easy during his time as emperor.

Hadrian presided over part of the long and bloody Roman occupation of Britain and, after struggling to wrestle control from the native warriors of Britain, ordered the building of an 80-mile wall, from sea to sea, to (in his words) ‘separate Romans from the “barbarians” to the north’.

This wall, which would go on to be named Hadrian’s Wall, can still be seen to this day. It marks the division between the edges of the ancient Roman empire and what is now modern-day Scotland. Along the walls are a series of small forts known as mile castles, named as such because they sat approximately one Roman mile (i.e. 0.92 modern miles) distance from each other across the span of the wall.

This part of the project began with a guided tour up to Milecastle 42 near Caw eld Quarry, which was led by Roman historian Kevin from Ancient Britain. Here, the participants were able to get in touch with their heritage by walking in the footsteps of their ancestors and learning how they lived, all while taking in the beautiful scenery and fresh air.