Each fort was home to around 500 soldiers. Get pupils to discuss what facilities would be needed for the men and their commander to be able to live there – e.g. they would have needed somewhere to sleep, somewhere to wash etc. Ask them to compare their list with a list of what a Roman fort actually included (see downloadable resources for a plan of a typical fort). In groups, pupils can research each different building and find out what kind of activities took place in each one.
Then, if possible, undertake a site visit to one of the forts on the Wall – Bar Hill and Rough Castle are the two most complete forts and best for pupils to understand how it was laid out. Get the pupils to ‘become archaeologists’, split them into groups, and ask each group to identify where each of the original buildings were. Once they they have done so, ask them to prepare a short guided tour of that building to deliver to the other groups. Pupils could also try to re-enact some of the activities that may have taken place on site.
Alternatively, ask pupils to take pictures of what survives of each building and to pace out or measure any existing features. They can then discuss amongst the groups why so little is left of each building.