| Hundreds
of people enjoyed the sunny weather at Butser Ancient
Farm at the weekend although soldiers of the Roman Legion
II Augusta found their armour rather hot. The Legionaries
felt that the natives at Butser Ancient Farm were
sufficiently friendly for them to allow children to try
on their armour and to hold their swords. Young visitors
of all ages also cooked bread Roman Army marching bread
on sticks over a charcoal fire and tested their fitness
to become Roman soldiers on the hopscotch area.
Hopscotch, now regarded as a children’s game,
started as a training exercise to improve the stamina and
agility of Roman soldiers. The might of Rome was somewhat intimidated by the twenty foot high Wicker Man looming over the site. Julius Caesar wrote that the Britons built huge wicker containers in human form which were filled with men and animals, and then set alight as a sacrifice. Still headless, the Butser Ancient Farm version is being constructed ready for the May Day Festival of Beltain which will be celebrated on 1st May at 6.30pm, probably without human sacrifice. All the hours of hard work by Simon Jay and Alistair Incledon-Webber and their helpers will go up in smoke as the Wicker Man is set alight by conservationist and TV presenter Robin Page. |
Legionairies from Legio II Augusta at drill practice
Making Roman Army marching bread
Butser Ancient Farm is open to the
public on the last weekend in the months
March – September
Created 14 February 2003 - Updated 27 April 2004