I wrote and researched two 5,000-word books for 8-11s (Key Stage 2) for this new series (publication 2003), choosing the subjects and compiling picture lists. Each spread covers a subject, with illustrations, captions and a feature box. At the end of the book are a time line, book and website list, and a list of places to visit.
Life in Britain: the Romans
Roman clothing was quite comfortable, loose and light, but not very warm. People used brooches to hold their clothes together. There were no zips or buttons, and it was difficult to do any complicated sewing with the clumsy bone needles the Romans used. Clothes were usually made of wool, linen, leather or fur, or sometimes cotton or silk from abroad.
Unlike the Britons, the Romans never wore trousers, except for soldiers and farm workers when it was really cold. Instead, Romans had tunics, tightened around the middle with a belt. On special occasions important men who were Roman citizens might wear togas. These were long lengths of cloth draped around the body rather like a sari. Women wore a longer dress called a stola over their tunics.
Many people probably went around barefoot. The most popular type of shoe was a leather sandal. This was done up with long laces, and took quite a long time to put on.
Many people, rich and poor, wore lucky animal charms, ear-rings, beads and rings. A rich woman had a lot of spare time when she could make herself look beautiful. For make-up she used red wine for her cheeks and lips, and powdered chalk to make her skin look pale. The Romans thought that having a sun tan made you look like a poor farm worker.
Hairstyles
People in Britain learned about the latest hair styles by seeing faces on coins. In the early days men had short hair, and shaved their faces. Later on the Emperor Hadrian made it fashionable to have longer hair and a beard. Women and girls had long hair in complicated styles, and often wore hairpins and decorations. The hairstyles became an important way of making men and women look different from each other. Some women dyed their hair or curled it with heated tongs, while others wore wigs made from real hair.