Stage summary
| Storyline |
A British family observes a wounded Roman riding past their home. This is Salvius, who has been wounded after his execution of an enslaved man during an inspection of an iron mine provoked anger in the Britons. Salvius returns to his own estate and takes out his own anger on an enslaved man working on his farm. |
|---|---|
| Main language features |
infinitives volō, nōlō, possum -que |
| Sentence patterns |
(nominative) + infinitive + verb |
| Practising the language |
Epona et Alātor
A sister urges her younger brother not to act recklessly. |
| Cultural context |
Mining and farming; the family and career of Salvius; Britain and its people before and during Roman occupation.
|
| Enquiry question |
Analyse the Roman view that the Britons were 'fierce and inhospitable' people (Horace, Odes 3.4.33) living 'wholly separated from all the world' (Virgil, Eclogues 1.66) and the Romans 'would gain nothing by occupying the land' (Strabo, 2.5.8).
|
Sequence and approach
In Book 2 the book begins to include cultural inserts interspersed between the stories. These are provided as good contextual understanding for the adjacent story and may or may not be directly related to the main cultural section at the end of the Stage.
Illustration: opening page (p. 1)
Reconstruction of early Romano-British farmstead. To establish the context of Roman Britain, compare this homestead with the colourful town houses in Pompeii and invite students to suggest reasons for the differences: e.g. climate, local materials, cultural differences, and agricultural lifestyle.
These British homesteads are discussed in the cultural background material of Stage 14. Here, it is sufficient to note the timber frame, wattle and daub walls (see page 44), thatched roof, and entrance protected against the weather. The British costume is also adapted to local conditions. The man wears a dyed homespun tunic, hitched up for ease of movement over trousers, and the woman wears her plaid tunic long over an ankle-length skirt. The man’s moustache is based on the evidence of coins and sculpture (Poole, Dorset, Upton Heritage Park).
Model sentences (p. 2)
Story
We meet for the first time Rufilla and her husband Salvius, a Roman family of high status living in Britain. We also meet Volubilis, the Egyptian cook in their household. We meet too a British agricultural family comprised of a father and mother and two children living a very different style of life in their cosy roundhouse.
New language feature
Infinitive with present tense of volō and possum. Allow students initially to translate potest as is able in order to reinforce the infinitive, graduating to can by the end of the Stage.
New vocabulary
quiēscere, potest, fessus, vult, vōcem, suāvem, nōlunt
About the language 1: infinitives (pp. 10–11)
New language feature
Present tense of volō, nōlō, possum used with the infinitive.
Discussion
In paragraph 3, elicit from the students the comment that the endings of possum are the same as the forms of sum. In paragraph 5, ask for alternative translations of possum and encourage the most natural English version in each case.
Farming (p. 11)
A brief overview of agriculture in Britain before and during the Roman occupation, showing some continuity but more in the way of change.
Illustration: p. 11
A Romano-British plough reconstructed from wood with the original metal ploughshare. It would have been pulled by a team of oxen, as shown in the model on the bottom right. The plough’s knife, or coulter, would have made a preliminary vertical cut in the soil ahead of the ploughshare.
fundus Britannicus (p. 12)
Story
The differences between Romans and Britons is shown by the encounter Salvius has with a local farmer and his family. They are proud and happy with their home, but Salvius and Vitellianus see it as inferior to Roman properties, and furthermore see in their happiness proof of the inferiority of Britons.
About the language 2: -que (p. 13)
New language feature
Use of -que to link words and sentences.
Discussion
Emphasise the unchanging form of -que, to avoid future confusion with the relative pronoun. After studying the note, put up sentences on the board for students to rewrite using -que, e.g.:
agricola Salvium salūtāvit et fundum ostendit.
Salvius agrōs vīdit et agricolae respondit.
līberī rāmōs secant et tectum reficiunt.
Practising the language: Epona et Alātor (pp. 14–15)
Story
After the murder of their father, a sister tries to convince her brother he is being reckless.
In a flashback story, we see how Alator came to attack Salvius, as he tells his sister and mother that he will avenge his father’s death (thus, the coniūrātiō of that story on page 6).
The story shows the use of the following language points:
- present tense of volō, nōlō, possum used with the infinitive (lines 11-12; 13; 15-16; 20-21; 21-22)
- use of -que to link words and sentences (line 14)
- use of verbs in a wide variety of tenses and persons, including est.
Students may identify the imperfect nōlēbant but if possible further discussion should be postponed until Stage 15 when they will have seen many more examples.
Reviewing the language
If students are ready to consolidate their learning, exercises for this Stage can be found on page 219.
Infinitives 1: sentences using infinitive phrases. Students choose the most appropriate infinitive from the box to complete the sentence. Students should then translate their sentences.
Singulars and plurals 1: sentences using 3rd person singular and plural verbs. Students select the correct nominative singular or plural form of a noun to agree with each sentence’s verb. Students should then translate their sentences.
Cultural background (pp. 16–23)
Content
Students are introduced to British culture and life before and during the empire and to the Roman invasion of Britannia. Study of this material should be integrated with reading and language work.
Enquiry
Analyse the Roman view that the Britons were 'fierce and inhospitable' people (Horace, Odes 3.4.33) living 'wholly separated from all the world' (Virgil, Eclogues 1.66) and the Romans 'would gain nothing by occupying the land' (Strabo, 2.5.8).
Stage 13’s investigation is focused on gaining knowledge about Britain during the period just before and during the Roman occupation and asks the students to compare the literary sources (of which there are few, and in the case of the quotations above offered by Romans who had not even been there) and the material culture (coins, artefacts, buildings, inscriptions). It provides a good opportunity for students to critically evaluate the competing claims of ancient written sources (sometimes incomplete or fragmentary) and archaeology.
Illustrations
p. 17
Map showing approximate locations of British tribes
p. 18
Top: Maiden Castle, Dorset: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/maiden-castle/
Bottom: Late 1st century BC gold coins made by the Corieltauvi tribe
p. 19
Left: Torc from Snettisham Hoard made from sixty-four 1.9mm wide threads created from just over a kilogram of gold mixed with silver. These threads were twisted together to make eight separate ropes of metal, which were then twisted into the shape of the torc. (British Museum, London) https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1951-0402-2
Right: The Battersea Shield, this is in fact just a bronze shield facing (the metal cover that goes over a wooden shield) with twenty-seven red glass studs in four different sizes. The decoration is not like any other object, making it very difficult to date, but it was almost certainly made in Britain, as the central circular raised shield boss is specifically British. (British Museum, London) https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1857-0715-1
p. 20
Map of Gaul showing the approximate routes of Caesar’s campaigns
p. 21
Top: Fitting from Roman gladius found in 2002 and securely dated to around AD 25.
Bottom: Oldest of the coins found as part of the Hallaton Hoard, which is also thought to be the oldest Roman coin found in Britain. This silver coin, dated to 211BC, was found with 5,000 other coins, a helmet and decorated bowl in 2000. It has the Goddess Roma on one side and the mythical twins Castor and Pollux sat on galloping horses on the other.
p. 22
Left: Part of the inscription from Claudius’ triumphal arch in Rome, reconstruction of the full inscription here: https://ancientrome.ru/art/artworken/img.htm?id=7740
Right: Coin depicting the Claudius and the arch. The inscription on the arch abbreviates DE[victis] BRITANN[is] ("Triumph over the Britons")
p. 23
Ditches at Rutupiae (modern Richborough) Roman fort. More details of this site can be found on the English Heritage website: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/richborough-roman-fort-and-amphitheatre/history-and-stories/recreating-a-roman-gate/
p. 24
Copper alloy helmet dredged from Thames, known as the Waterloo Helmet. The decoration on the helmet comprises five (originally six) copper alloy studs with red glass set in them and a repousse design on front and back. The design is similar to that on the Snettisham Torc (page 19). https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1988-1004-1
Vocabulary checklist (p. 24)
Explain the formats that are going to be used for showing verbs and nouns in the Vocabulary Checklist from now on.
Verbs: 1st person singular, present tense (met in Stage 4); present infinitive (met in Stage 13); 1st person singular, perfect tense (met in Stage 12).
Nouns: first, second, and third declension nouns are listed by their nominative singular form (the genitive is added in Stage 17).