Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Romans
 
In Mr  Flynn's class we have been learning about the Ancient Romans and in particular the Roman army. The Romans had a powerful empire for over 800 years and much of the reason behind this was due to their army. They were well armed, disciplined and a large army. The size of the army changed depending on what wars or conquests they were involved in. The Romans controlled much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and it was their army that allowed them to control their empire for so long. When a Roman joined the army they had to stay in the army for 25 years!
In class we made some Roman armour, their shields were called a 'Scutum' (Latin for Shield) and their spears were called a 'pilum'.
 
 
 
They also were very clever when it came to fighting their enemies, they used different battle formations that their enemies had never seen before and this with their training was key to their success.
 
 
This was called the 'Repel'

 
 
This was called the 'Wedge'
 
And finally this was the famous 'Tortoise'
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pompeii
 
Pompeii was a Roman town that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on the 24th of August AD79. Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano located close to the modern city of Naples in southern Italy. During a Science lesson we created our own version of a volcano using vinegar, baking soda, washing up liquid and food dye. When the vinegar (an acid) and baking soda (an alkaline) react, carbon dioxide is created and with the help of the washing up liquid and food dye helps to create an erupting volcano. We recreated Mount Vesuvius using a small plastic bottle and clay. The following photostory gives you an idea of how the experiment works.
 
 
The music is called 'The Last Days of Pompeii'