Celtic Feasts and Roman Rituals

Date

Saturday 23 July 2011
11:00 am – 4:00pm

Location

Barbury Castle Country Park
Wroughton
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN4 0QH (view on Google Maps)

To celebrate the success of Celts and Romans in North Wiltshire, the hard work of all of our volunteers, and the fascinating archaeology from Truckle Hill Roman Bath-House and the Chiseldon Iron Age Cauldrons site we will be hosting a day of family fun. The event will include tours, talks, things to make and do and hands-on archaeology activities. We would like to invite everyone who was involved in the project, and everyone who is curious about these two fantastic sites, to come out and join the fun.

Details

Celts and Romans in North Wiltshire Scavenger Hunt

Take part in all of the activities at Celtic Feasts and Roman Rituals to find the answers and fill in all the blanks in this scavenger hunt. When you’ve answered all of the questions show us your paper and we will give you a badge!

Download and print the Scavenger Hunt (Word format). 

Visit with a Romano-British Couple

Stop for a chat with Vindex and Huctia, a Romano-British couple who have set up camp in front of Barbury Castle for the day. Take a look at all of the wonderful items they have brought with them, and learn about daily life in England during the Roman period. Vindex also like to tell stories, and if you visit them at the right time Vindex will tell you stories of the old gods.

Huctia. Image provided by the Guild of Historical Interpreters.

Vindex will be telling stories at:

11:45, 12:45, 13:45, and 14:45

Storyteller Lizzie Bryant.

Celtic Cauldrons and a Feast of Tales

Join storyteller Lizzie Bryant for a story walk around Barbury Castle to discover the mystic landscape of the Celts and their fascination with magical and sacred cauldrons. Suitable for all the family (ages 7 +), the walk will be starting on the outer bank to the entrance of the castle. The walk around the castle banks will include uneven ground and inclines. If it is raining the storytelling will take place in a tent.

Story walks will be taking place at:

12:00 noon and 14:00

Tour Barbury Castle

Join a tour of Barbury Castle and learn about the history and archaeology of this Iron Age hill fort and the Ridgeway which it overlooks. Tours will be starting from the entrance to Barbury Castle.

Tours will begin at:
11:30 and 15:00

Iron Age and Roman Crafts Table

The crafts table will be open from 11.00 – 16.00

Design a Mosaic for Truckle Hill

Small tiles, called tesserae, that once formed a mosaic floor were found at Truckle Hill Roman Bath-House, but only a very small fragment of the floor remained. Are you feeling creative? Join our crafts table and design a mosaic for Truckle Hill.

Create Your Own Iron Age Finery

The Chiseldon Cauldrons are a fabulous collection or rare metal vessels from the Iron Age, but what else did the Celts make out of metal? Join our crafts table and make yourself a bracelet or torc inspired by jewellery from the Iron Age?

The crafts table will be open from 11.00 – 16.00

Learn about Truckle Hill Roman Bath-House and the Chiseldon Cauldrons

Curious about Truckle Hill Roman Bath-House and the Chiseldon Cauldrons? Come out and take a look at displays about these two fascinating North Witlshire sites and handle some of the artefacts discovered at them.

There will be a short talk on the Chiseldon Cauldrons at 13.00

We look forward to seeing everyone there!