Schools & Beyond: Roman & Anglo-Saxon Canterbury Reconstructed

(PAGE 1)

How can this Pack Help You

The focus of the pack is on the coloured reconstruction images of Roman and Anglo-Saxon Canterbury. There is a laminated A4 print of each. The quality of information and illustrations combine to make this a resource which is accessible to primary and secondary school teachers, tutors and adult students alike.

Using Archaeology in National Curriculum History in the Primary School

Although the programmes for National Curriculum History in the primary school are suspended as from September 1998, there remains a requirement to continue teaching History. This pack will be a valuable addition to your existing bank of resources for teaching the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in Britain and aspects of Local History at Key Stage 2.

Using the pack across the Primary School Curriculum

The pack can be used as a stimulating teaching resource in areas of the curriculum other than History.

English
Describing the images in verbal and written form. Expanding vocabulary, making comparisons between images, expressing opinions and theories about the past, comparing with the present, reporting to others.

Maths
Identifying examples of shape, angle, tesselation, symmetry, scale. Using appropriate mathematical language.

Science and Technology
Types of materials available and how they were used. Decay and survival of different materials when buried in the ground. Suitability of building design to function.

Geography
Buildings and their functions. Sources and use of building materials. Development of an area over a long period of time. Identifying changes in land use and occupations. How does this compare with today?

Secondary School: National Curriculum History

An investigation of Roman Canterbury could form an aspect of The Roman Empire if you choose to teach this option at Key Stage 3.

Secondary School: GCSE and A Level, History and Archaeology

Aspects of the pack could support a Schools History Project for GCSE Level History while a study of Roman or Anglo-Saxon Canterbury would form a valid 'personal investigation' for A Level History. The evidence in the pack for settlement planning and development, culture and lifestyle can make a contribution to courses in Archaeology at both GCSE and A Level.

(PAGE 2)

Addressing the Ability Range

The images can be used to stimulate discussion among pupils of differing abilities (where producing a written account or record is not a priority). Used alongside artefacts such resources can motivate less able pupils in a way which will almost certainly leave a long-lasting impression.

Lifelong Learning

There are many courses for adults which enable individuals to pursue their interests and further their learning beyond the stages of formal education. The Workers Education Association (WEA) and college and university extra-mural departments can benefit from including this pack in their bank of resources.

Specialist Knowledge

The pack is written by the Education Officer of Canterbury Archaeological Trust and draws on a wealth of evidence excavated in the town by archaeologists over a number of years. So you can confidently develop your personal knowledge in preparation for that inevitable question, 'How do you know?'. The pack is particularly useful as it brings together Anglo-Saxon evidence in an accessible form and enables useful comparisons to be made between the two very different societies.

I would like to thank here members of Canterbury Archaeological Trust and the Kent Archaeological Society Education Committee for helpful discussion on the production of this pack and, in particular, Ian Coulson, County Consultant for History with Kent County Council's 'Kent Advisory Service'.

Background Notes to the Reconstruction Pictures

These begin by setting the scene in pre-Roman times and finish with a summary of developments at the latter end of the Anglo-Saxon period (upto the Norman Conquest). The focus however is on the main features of each of the two reconstruction images and much of the information is written to be used with direct reference to the images. To give the reader a more 'rounded' view of each of the societies, additional information is included about significant features lying beyond the geographical area shown in the images, about the transition between the two historic periods and about aspects of lifestyle. A summary of the evidence which underpins each reconstruction is given and you can then see how it has been interpreted. Archaeologists in Canterbury have discovered an enormous amount but there are still gaps in our knowledge. Further excavations will hopefully allow us to expand on what is already an impressive picture of our past.

Also included are suggestions for ways to use the reconstructions in a teaching environment.

(PAGE 3)

Laminated Coloured Reconstructions

The images (and any other pictures in these Notes except Fig. 5) may be photocopied without prior permission from the copyright holders. For individual or group work A4 size is probably adequate. Images enlarged to A3 size will be more effective for class discussion. The annotated black and white versions in these Notes (Figs. 1 and 2) are for teacher use, to help you easily identify the features in each reconstruction.

Supplementary black and white pictures

A number of black and white photocopiable images are included in the Notes. Many are annotated for information. If you want pupils to try their own identification any image could be photocopied, masking out the text. All of the Roman and Anglo-Saxon artefacts illustrated are from central Canterbury, beneath the area of the shopping centre known as the Marlowe Arcade, built in the mid-1980's. The scale of each object is shown eg. 1:1 (actual size); 1:2 (half actual size) and so on. With some objects, more than one view is shown where it is thought more information is necessary or interesting.

Teacher's Resource Pack
Roman and Anglo-Saxon Canterbury Reconstructed

Ways to use the reconstruction images

How do we find out about the past? The role of Archaeology

The Reconstruction Images

How we have gathered the evidence

The Centre of Roman Canterbury

Setting the scene
Main features of the Roman town: Public buildings
Other features: Houses, streets, walls, gates and cemeteries

Transition from Roman Town to Anglo-Saxon Settlement

The end of Roman Britain
What happened at Canterbury?
Canterbury in the 5th and 6th centuries

Change and New Growth in Anglo-Saxon Canterbury

Sources of evidence for the Anglo-Saxons
Augustine and the revival of Christianity
Origins of St Martin's Church: Different types of evidence
Expansion of the Church: A building programme begins

Everyday Life in Anglo-Saxon Canterbury