Roman Army to enlist youngsters at Fishbourne Roman Palace this October Half Term

From Monday 23 to Friday 27 October, there will be fun activities every day for the trainee Roman soldiers at the heritage site near Chichester, West Sussex. Once signed up, soldiers will take part in military exercises in the Palace gardens and must complete a range of tasks to earn their day’s pay, under the watchful eye of the Drill Officer.

From writing their name in Roman letters to mastering sword and shield practise and spear throwing, the new recruits will learn all about what life was like for a Roman soldier and the skills they needed for combat. As well as dressing up in uniform, other activities include having a wound painted on and learning about medicines used 2,000 years ago, trying Roman food and learning how soldiers would spend their leisure time with Roman board games. The soldiers will receive a replica Roman coin at the end of the day as a reward for completing all their tasks.