Author Ben Kane visits our Classics Department

Bestselling author, Ben Kane, made a welcome return to Royal High School Bath on Friday 20 January. Best known for ‘The Forgotten Legion’, ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Hannibal’ book series, Ben has written more than twenty novels on various aspects of the ancient world – many of which have made it onto the Sunday Times bestseller lists.

Ben is also a fantastic author to have visit as he is truly knowledgeable, not to mention enthusiastic, about his subject. His novels are based on extensive research and historical evidence which comes across in his talks. Our Year 9 students were given a great insight into everyday life in Ancient Rome, covering a wide range of topics from what Romans ate to Roman medicine, what it was like to be a slave in the Roman world and common causes of death for men and women.

Head of Classics, Claire Binney, said: “Ben is wonderful, which is why we chose him as our Classicist of the Month for January! He has come to the Royal High every year to talk to Year 9 students since 2016 and even delivered a virtual talk when we were not allowed visitors during Covid. Each time it is slightly different, but always engaging and thoroughly entertaining. He really brings Ancient Rome to life for the students. He is such a great speaker and delivers his talks dressed as a Roman soldier, complete with hob-nailed boots, shield and helmet. He also brings along a collection of Roman artefacts and replicas ranging from chainmail and small weapons to crockery and kettles for the students to try on and handle.”

In addition to his bestselling novels, Ben is also well known for walking hundreds of miles in complete Roman military gear, In 2013, Ben and two friends walked the entire length of Hadrian's Wall for charity while wearing full Roman military kit, including hobnailed boots. They raised nearly £19,000 for Combat Stress and Medecins Sans Frontieres. In 2014, they walked again in Italy, raising over £26,500. A documentary film was made about their walk, entitled The Road to Rome with Ian McKellen providing the voiceover.

We enjoyed every minute of Ben’s visit and are grateful to him for taking the time to chat to everyone and answer all their questions. Year 9 really impressed us with their questions, showing how interested and engaged they were in his talk. It was a real treat for our staff and students and a fantastic way to complement what they have been learning in the classroom.

Here are just a few of the enthusiastic comments about Ben's visit from our Year 9s:

• I enjoyed learning about what the streets were like, more about the villa and about the crimes such as a slave killing their master and burglaries.

• I liked Ben Kane's outfit and learning about the toilets.

• I most enjoyed when he talked about the different things about that were left behind from the ancient world, especially the bread that was still in the oven during the eruption and the mosaics and artworks in the rich people’s house.

• I enjoyed how Ben explained everything really well

• I learnt that there were 'fast food' style restaurants that were open on the streets

• I learnt about the layout of a Roman house, about the public toilets and how they found coriander and peppercorns in 2 000 year old human faeces. I also learnt about the layout of shops and also about slaves and slave-owners, such as how some people could have up to a thousand slaves.

• I learnt that there were small stones in their bread, which may make people die from malnutrition if their molars were ground down.