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The Newsletter of The Friends of Brading Roman Villa

Royal Patron ofBrading

Roman VillaH.R.H.

Prince Edward Earl of Wessex

Ave atque vale

Over 70 Members of The Friends and members of the public attended ourAnnual General Meeting on 30th January. It was really good to see so manyof you there, especially as this winter’s weather did little to persuade any of us

away from our firesides. Retirement is the only time a chairman is allowed to lookbackwards, but just a glimpse tells me that it is just this kind of support, so gladly given,which has helped The Friends grow into the valued group it is. Right from the start,we would have achieved nothing without the Members’ help and encouragement, orwithout our shared passion that the Villa should continue to tell its story and stir theimagination of future generations. Thank you all, most sincerely, for the support youhave given to me personally over the years, but now the time is right for me to handover the reins. I am delighted that the membership has elected Mary Clements asour new Chairman and that Jill Savage, having acted as Vice-Chairman since lastOctober, is confirmed as Vice-Chairman. The skills that Mary and Jill bring with themto these key roles will, I know, take The Friends on into a successful future.

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Arrangements are well under weigh for the 2010Dig which is due to start at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday,1st August until 22nd August. Then, after the digteams have all gone home, the site will remainopen for public viewing probably for another two

weeks before it is backfilled. Digging may not be for you, but ifyou still want to be part of the action,perhaps in a less strenuousoccupation, there are many otheropportunities for volunteering on site(special activities for Young Friends,too, between 14-18 years old If youwould like to spend some timehelping, please phone either 01983811408 or the villa on 01983 406223. This year the Dig will concentrateon the small field adjacent to the carpark, at the eastern end of the site.In the last day or so of the 2009 dig,Bob von Arsdel tested the depth oftop soil and it may be deep enoughto allow the use of a mechanicaldigger to remove the top layer.Remembering what happened lastyear, this will save a lot of time – andblisters: cultivated soil should befar less heavy going for the digteams. We are all looking forward withill-concealed excitement to a bit

more explorationinside the Villa itself.The brief look last yearwhich unexpectedlyrevealed so much newinformation, simplyhas to be followed up.Also a small part of thesouth range will berevisited which timeand funds preventedus from doing last year.We hope this will confirm if the bath house wefound formed part of a larger building - perhapseven the first family house. Certainly Sir Barry isvery enthusiastic and it could all happen thisAugust! On the eve of the Dig, The Friends are holdinga big party. “Just Jazz” will be on Saturday,31st July and everybody, dig teams as well, willbe welcome. The Isle of Wight Stompers willprovide the Jazz and we hope you will all give usyour support - why not bring some friends andmake up a party? bring a picnic or buy a ticket toinclude a light supper? Ticket prices will beconfirmed soon and the timing is likely to be7.00pm until about 10.30pm. Meantime, pleaseput the date in your diary for a good night out andhelp raise some funds in the process.

Issue No.12 ~ Spring 2010

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: page

Ave Atque Vale 1‘Just Jazz’ celebrates The 2010 Dig 1The Romans in Africa 2The View From Over Here 3The Story of Attis & Sagaritis 4Letter to the Editor 5Carmina Morte Carent 6The Anne Frank Exhibition 7A Winter’s Tale 7Sandy’s Lament 7Wicked Roman Stuff at the Villa 8

“ ” celebrates the 2010 Dig

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powerfully evocative and hugely informative:Augustan architecture, Hadrianic baths and thevast forum and basilica which Lucius SeptimiusSeverus gave to the city in which he was born. Leptis gained its prosperity from agriculture,sea trading and the trans-Saharan caravanroutes. But its demise began after a devastatingearthquake in AD365 followed by raids of localtribes. By the time of the Vandals’ occupation,between AD455 and AD533, Leptis would have

been a shadow of its former self. Justinianreclaimed it for the Empire, refortifying the portarea of the city, and the dwindling populationretreated to safety behind the Byzantinedefensive wall. There is evidence of some sortof occupation as late as the 10th century, but afterthis the entire city disappeared under the sandsuntil 1686 when the French found the site and alot of marble ended up in Versaille. The Italianconquest of Libya in 1911 enabled the firstexcavations to rediscover the site. From the port of Darnah, an hour’s driveinland through the Jebel Akdhar range of hills,and another vast, almost deserted site takes your

The Romans in Africa 2009 Tunisia and Libya Wendy Gannon“You don’t have to get off the ship if you don’twant to......” In fact, this was a crumb of realcomfort, offered to an already exhaustedvolunteer very soon after last year’s dig, althoughshe would have had to be entirely legless towant to miss any of the ports of call. But 40° in

the shade when there isn’t any shade does slowthe pace down a bit. Before it embraced the whole continent,Africa was the name Rome gave to the diocesealong the southern coast of the Mediterranean.There were seven provinces: Tripolitania withthree cities: Carthage, Sabratha and Leptis; andin the province of Cyrenaica, Cyrene the capital,Tokrah, Ptolomais and Appollonia. All weremajor cities which are said to have been themost prosperous and architecturally impressiveof the Graeco-Roman world. Even after a coupleof earthquakes and the ravages of centuries,they still are very, very impressive. The Punicports and Antonine baths at Carthage areamazing, the honey glow of Sabratha isbeautiful, but the vast expanse of Leptis Magnabehind the Severan Arch is almostoverwhelming. Breathtaking: sun-bleachedarchaeology as far as the eye can see. It is anawesome place and must have been one of themost beautiful cities of the Roman Empire. Thefirst small settlement was Punic, 7th century BC,built on a natural harbour and populated byPhoenician and Carthaginian merchants. AfterCarthage fell to Rome in 146 BC, waves of Romansettlers started a programme of building which,

judging by thedates carved intoporticos and walls,seemed to go onuntil the mid 4thcentury AD. Leptisrapidly becamethe greatest ofthe three cities ofTripolitania andon a scale which,in just two dayson site, I founddifficult to take in.It is enormous,

3rd Century amphitheatre, El Djem, Libya

Market of Annobal Rufus

Basilica, Leptis

Nymphaeum, Leptis

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breath away - Cyrene. Scattered over the rockyhillside it was first settled by Greek colonists fromSantorini towards the end of the 7th century BC.The city spreads out over the plains almost backto the coast. Small theatres, temples andpeople’s houses crowd together. Unprotectedmarble mosaic floors can bewalked upon; a bit faded,but little damaged in the dryatmosphere. Cyrene is saidto have been founded byApollo. His temple stands ina great sanctuary, alongwith a variety of othershrines and altars, bathsbuilt by Trajan, a Mythraic temple,and Christian churches. The originalwater course still flows from itssource in a 300 yard tunnel cut fromthe rock. Quite clearly, Cyrene hasadopted to a variety of cultures: it isa combination of Hellenic,contemporary Greek, Roman andLibyan elements. In a clearing ofjuniper trees is the Temple of Zeus, built about 600BC, marginally bigger than the Parthenon! TheRomans built their temple inside it. Nearby is a700 ft hippodrome - quite small compared to theone at Leptis which must have been 600 yardslong and wide enough for a 7-chariot racearound its central spina. The second greatsanctuary at Cyrene is that of Demeter andPersephone, (smaller but still 9,000 sq.metres!),

dating from 600 BC The ruins of Cyrene wereexplored as long ago as 1705 and in 1860 thefirst diggings resulted in the ‘acquisition’ of over100 sculptures, this time by the British Museum. The same local guides took us around all thesites, and were excellent - in many cases, English

is their third language. On sites asextensive as these, the guides musthave had a hard decision on whatto leave out. It was all a bit energeticand I’m glad I took my walkingboots. But I have to admit that by theend of the trip, I was suffering frominformation overload – we werealso accompanied on the ship and

to the sites by severalarchaeologists, amongstthem Dr. Ffiona GilmoreEaves, Prof. Tim Tatton-Brown, and Dr. Paul Bennettwho is still involved inexcavating in the region. Libya is still a relativelyyoung tourist venue and it

was a great treat not to be in a milling crowd ofpeople. I will not forget the concert performanceof Dido & Aeneas given by the Academy ofAncient Music in the Roman theatre at Sabratha,and how can words describe the thrill of beingasked to take part in the performance of JuliusCaesar actually in the theatre at Leptis? Wellrehearsed and word perfect, a true vocation wasrecognised at last! I was the fickle Mob. WG

shores. The Roman tourist might have conqueredus using a mighty army and navy, but to be frankthey left some fabulous souvenirs of their stay. We have extraordinary glimpses into the livesof a people who came from hundreds of milesaway and chose to settle here on the Island Forme there is a certain irony and great pride, thatsome of the finest examples of Roman mosaicsto be found anywhere in Europe are here on ourIsland at Brading. The handling collection onshow in the school holidays at the Villa, alsothrows light on a variety of objects in our day today lives that we simply take for granted butwhich were brought to us by those triumphanttourists. I grew up on the Island and then went offto discover new places too, but enormouslyenriching though travel is, I love being back home. I think I shall tell my friend in London that ourVilla is a perfect example of the earliest bijou bedand breakfast on the Isle of Wight, thusestablishing it as a pioneer in a noble Britishprofession. As the Island gears up for what weall hope will be a sunny, busy summer of visitors,let us hope they (and you) enjoy coming again tothe Villa and revisiting the sites enjoyed by theItalians who stayed and left us far more than apostcard from their travels all those centuries ago. JG

A friend who works in London is promoting BritishTourism week this spring and, amongst otherthings, has set himself the mad task of comingup with a new and interesting fact on the habitsand tastes of visitors to our shores every day fora month. He is publishing them principallythrough the social networking site Facebook andthus many more people will hopefully learnsomething new about our global neighbours. Hechallenged me to come up with something aboutthe Villa here at Brading that might give us a littlepublicity, show we support tourism and of coursehelp him too! It set me thinking.... It was clear that in the past ten months thatI've been involved with the Villa I have learnt anenormous amount. It was also rather obviousthat I still have so much more to understand! Itmight almost be daunting except that there aresome marvellous people involved in the Villa'sday to day life that make the process of learninga great deal of fun. We are a small cog in thegiant tourism wheel but what a splendid cog weare, and in such a gorgeous part of the Island toboot. In the past year as friends with childrenhave come to the Island, I have enjoyed showingoff our fine heritage and the Villa is a very prettypart of it. It also strikes me it is a perfect exampleof the earliest cultural visitors to our British

The View From Over Here Jacqueline Gazzard, ORT Trustee

The Forum Cyrene

Temple of Demeter & Persephone

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would suffer a terrible madness. They travelledthrough Phrygia, teaching as they went, untilCybele felt her work was done and took her placewith the other gods. Attis continued until he toofelt his work was done but he did not join hismother, instead he remembered the beautifulSagaritis and set out for the River Sangarius. The almond tree still stood outside the cavebut now it was covered with blossoms. Sagaritisreciprocated Attis’s love and despite Cybele’swarning they married and lived happily throughthe summer. However when autumn came andCybele was making one of her periodic visits tothe Earth she saw Attis and Sagaritis together.Her fury and jealousy knew no bounds as sherealised that Attis had disregarded her warning.She shook her whip and Attis was immediatelyovercome with madness and ran up themountainside, cutting away with his wine-grower’s knife the parts of his body that the whiphad touched. Sagaritis could not be harmed

while the almond tree lived soCybele cut it down and Sagaritisperished as the tree died. Meanwhile Attis’s wounds wereso terrible that he bled to deathon the side of Mount Dindymos.On the spot where he died theFirst Pine Tree appeared andsoon pine trees, sacred to Attis,covered the mountains ofPhrygia. Cybele was distraught atthe death of Attis and begged

Jupiter to restore him to life. She was instructedas to the ceremonies that would bring this about.In the spring Attis was placed on a litter andstrewn with violets and carried in processionaccompanied by dancers banging drums andcymbals and playing pan-pipes, syrinxes. Afterthree days he was restored to life. In later years as autumn turned to winter thepriests of Cybele and Attis would commemoratethe death of Attis, dancing in frenzy as theygashed their flesh. Later as winter turned tospring they would celebrate the promise of newlife and growth by carrying a litter strewn withviolets in procession as they blew on syrinxes,clashed cymbals and banged on drums. JEMS

The Story of Attis and Sagaritis Jill Savage

There are several versions of this storywhich has its origins in the oldest mythsof ancient Phrygia, the land we now know

as Turkey. Out of the earth on Mount Dindymos themother-goddess Cybele was born. She wasfound by a leopardess and a lioness who raisedher and kept her from harm. Later Dindymene,the nymph of the mountain, cared for her andtook her to the court of King Maeon where shegrew to womanhood. She was so beautiful thatmany wanted to marry her but she refused themall. The King was very angry and said that hewould find her a husband. Cybele said that whenshe had a son he would be born without a fatherand then revealed herself as the great Earth-Mother goddess. She travelled the world in achariot drawn by two lionesses, wearing a crownof gold, shaped like a tower with turrets in eachcorner, and taught people how to tame wildanimals that would be useful to them and howto hunt others for food. As shewent, young men who hadbecome her priests would lead theway, clashing loud cymbals to tellthe people that Cybele wascoming among them. However, Cybele could notteach the skills of preparing theland for growing and harvestingcrops, so when the time was rightshe went to the valley of the RiverSangarius. There she came to acave in front of which was the First Almond Tree,created to be ready for when Cybele had needof it. She took the almonds from the tree andplaced them inside her robe where, as theytouched her skin, they vanished. Cybele thenlived in the cave, cared for by Sagaritis, the naiadof the almond tree, until the time came for herson, Attis, to be born. Attis grew quickly and was so beautiful thatCybele loved him, regretting that he was her sonand could never be her husband. She told himthat he should go with her to instruct men howto grow and harvest corn and how to plant vinesand make wine. She also told him that he mustnever love any other than her, his mother, or he

The Isle of Wight Storytelling Festivalis to be held for the first time at Brading Roman Villa from 30th Aprilto 2nd May. Everyone loves a story and what better way to celebrateour community and its rich heritage than a festival dedicated to thetelling of great tales?

“A Mosaic of Words”will feature an array of events and workshops over the weekend withsomething promised for everyone.

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In my letter from Carisbrooke Castle last week, Ipurposely omitted all mention of the small Romanvilla discovered near it in 1858, which, althoughhighly spoken of at the time of its discovery, is nowcompletely eclipsed by another “find” of the samesort, brought to light two years ago at Brading, onthe eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The excavationof the Brading Villa is still in progress, but enoughhas already been laid bare to give it rank as the chiefantiquity of the Island, to which all true believers arefound to make at least one pilgrimage. And certainlythe pilgrimage is well worth making……. Little did the poor Proconsul, or whoever he mayhave been, dream that this quiet country house of thethird century would be stared at and trampled overin the nineteenth by the descendents of those forestsavages who were his chosen symbol of everythinguncouth and ferocious. Still less he could divinethat he had been so inconsiderate as to plant hisresidence upon two English farms at once, inconsequence of which deplorable oversight thepilgrims of the present day are obliged to pay toll toboth proprietors. The very choice of this site bearsevidence of the Roman’s luxurious taste.... A wooden shed protects from the weather the firstand most precious discoveries – two splendid mosaicfloors fully equal to anything in Pompeii orHerculaneum. That on the right, measuring 40 feetby 18, appears to have been divided down the centre,its whole breadth being traversed by an “inlet” ofmasonry seemingly meant to support an architravefrom which hung the curtain so frequently substitutedfor a door. At the east end, surrounding a strikinghead of “snake haired Medusa”, are medallions ofCeres giving seed-corn to the cultivator Triptolemus,Arethusa fleeing from the river-god Alpheus,Hercules presenting Queen Omphale with thetrophies of the Amazons, and a nymph dancing witha tambourine to the music of a shepherd’s pipe. Theintervening spaces are occupied by the four heads ofMercury in his winged cap, two blowing conch-shells, and two sounding trumpets. Midwaybetween this group of mosaics and that of the westernend appears the figure of Hipparchus, theastronomer, surrounded with various astronomicalinstruments. The western group has suffered muchmore than the eastern, but enough is left to vouch forthe extreme beauty of the work when complete. Thefour seasons stand forth at the corners with theirdistinctive attributes, the laughing jollity of Autumnwith her crown of fruit and wheat-ears contrastingfinely with poor Winter’s shivering face, half buriedin a huge mantle. In the centre, Perseus, holding upthe Gorgon’s head in triumph turns toward thechained figure of Adromeda as if about to release her. The left-hand floor is that of a square apartment,probably one of the reception rooms, the unearthingof which was the first step in that of the villa itself.Of the nine medallions, four have been destroyed,and the charred surface of the mosaic conveys a grimsuggestion of these evil days when the raven of theNorth came swooping over the sea to fill the desertednest of the Roman eagle, and when the halls that hadechoed the music and poetry of the Augustan ageblazed with the camp-fires of Saxon pirates andresounded with drunken yells and savage curses.The five medallions are distinct enough to have been

successfully photographed. The flowing locks of aBacchante figure stand side by side with our oldfriend, the fox and the grapes, while a figure holdinga sceptre – supposed to represent Jupiter – flanks thetowering form of a gladiator, standing triumphantwith his fatal net and trident of a fallen foe. The mostremarkable of all the groups, however, is one inoblong medallion, representing a human figure withthe head and comb of a rooster and clawed feet armedwith two long, straight spurs. Above him stands abuilding with a ladder against its doorway, which iswatched by two winged griffins. This group hasalready become a bone of contention amongantiquaries, and is thus criticised by Dr. Nicholson:“Of this enigmatical group I can find no satisfactoryinterpretation in classic history or legend, and musttherefore have recourse to symbolism. The pagansopenly ridiculed and insulted by pen and pencil theChristian religion after its introduction into Italy.”Following the lines of these caricatures mocking thenew religion, I venture to suggest that thisincongruous man-rooster may have been intended asa symbol of Christianity, or of St. Peter, the spursbeing meant to show antagonism to the paganworship, which is represented by the elevated templealongside. It is conceivable, too, that the proprietorof this villa may have been a discontented Romanwho chose to caricature the reigning EmperorGallienus (Cockerel) at a safe distance by a pictorialpoem and emblem of his name. Fosbrooke says thatsymbols of names, as well as emblems of professions,were quite common. If these hypotheses have anycogency, the decorations of the floors at Brading wereprobably executed toward the disastrous end ofGallienus’s reign, when he had become so justly andgenerally unpopular. He met his violent death, be itremembered, in Galicia, which makes the roosterproclaim a second pun. In cases around the walls are preserved varioussmall articles discovered in the course of theexcavation – jars and cups, glass vases, silverornament, and numbers of human bones, many of thelatter being broken and charred by fire in a terriblysuggestive fashion. One and all of these relics,however, have a homely, everyday style about them,harmonising well with the domestic appliancesvisible on every side. This strange hollow, shapedlike a D and lined with stucco, was once a bath.These curious pillars of thin flat bricks, 8 inchessquare by 21 feet high, supported the floor of thehypocaust, or furnace, which sent hot air through thisflue of baked clay into the adjoining rooms. In thesesmaller chambers beyond lived the numerous slavesof the proud patrician, and beside them was the mouthof the household well, recently cleared out andrepaired. One can even see the marks of the handsupon the masonry, and the side-stones of the gateworn smooth by constant passers and repassers by. From all these details as well as from the situationof the villa itself, it is not difficult to form an idea ofthe character and daily life of its master. One fancieshim a high-bred, artistic, somewhat luxuriousProprietor, delighted at finding such a warm, sunnynook in any part of “bleak and barbarous Britannia”.As he comes fresh from his bath to a dish of thosemagnificent oysters, which are to him the sole meritpossessed by this savage island, you may hear himmutter a wish that the gods had granted the same goodfortune to poor Quintus Lutatius Catulus, his old

Letter to the Editor extracts from correspondence to The New York Times August 13, 1882“BRADING, Isle of Wight, July 24, 1882 —

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chum at the school on the Esquiline Hill, who is nowdoing garrison duty on the dreary moors beyondEboracum (York) against the barbarians of Scotia.His wife may at times regret the impossibility ofspending a season in Rome to display her Seric silksand her Spanish bracelets in the Coliseum; but sheis amply consoled by the glow of health on herhusband’s once pale features and the joyous shoutsof her children as they paddle in the tiny waveletsthat break upon the smooth sand. For Romansactually had families and firesides of their own, atetheir dinners, and played with the children just as wedo, instead of being (as some historians seem tothink) perpetually engaged in leading armies,haranguing public meetings, digging holes in theirfellow-creatures with shovel patterned swords, orstanding erect in shaky chariots under top-heavycrowns of laurel. And so it only remains to take one last look at thecoins along the wall, silent witnesses of the gradualcrumbling away of the monstrous magnificencewhich produced them. In AD 75, when the first ofthese coins were struck, the power of the Caesars wasat the height of its splendour; in AD 375 when thelast appeared, Constantine was just executing thatfatal transfer of the seat of government from Rometo Constantinople, which was the beginning of theend. In this tiny case lies the whole history of theRoman Empire. There appears the sharp Italianprofile of Domitian, the worse of even Rome’styrants, whom the genius of Tacitus has cursed withimmortality more terrible than death. There are thebroad-browed Hadrian, and the heavy, sensualGallienus, and the mean, low fronted face ofMaguentius, the usurper, and the firm Napoleonicoutline of Constantius, who with one flow smote himdown into ruin and death. And there, side by side,figure the lion-like head and massive features ofConstantine the Great, and the delicate woman-likecountenance of his ill-fated son, Crispus, whoseunjust and horrible death by the doom of his ownfather was but half atoned by that of the lyingstep-mother who slandered him. If I had to put a pupil through his classicrudiments, I would do it in just such a place as this.Surrounded by the mosaic pavements and quaintlyfashioned baths of a Roman dwelling, the cups anddishes of Roman housekeepers, the toys of Romanchildren – my pupil would soon find out that “dryhistory” need not be dry if allowed to speak for itself.One day here would teach him more about the Romanconquest of Britain and the ways of the conquerorsthan a whole encyclopaedia. He would discover thatthe dreadful people who now make his life a burdenwere only human beings after all, who yawned overtheir lessons and shouted as they rushed out to play,climbed trees, and broke through hedges, scribbledtheir names on walls and draw caricatures of theirteachers, just like himself. By the time my pupil hadmastered all the details of the daily life of a ‘Civisromanus’ (a far more profitable study than thedeformities of irregular nouns and defective verbs)he would be more friendly “to those old Romanfellows” than the schoolboy who said of Virgil:“Why on earth couldn’t the old donkey write inEnglish?”

CarminaMorte Carent

I, Medusa. guardian, protectress, queen,Lie hereAnd stare out at the years as they pass.I know all, but can reveal nothing.I hear all, but must keep my counsel.I was there at the beginningAnd I still have a song to sing.

After the darkness, once more I see the lightof day.I will protect and be protected nowUntil the end of timeAnd I sing with joy!

I could tell them what they want to knowIf I could talk.The laughs, loves, mysteriesLaid out before them -What would they give for that -To hear my song?

Spring, summer, autumn, winterLie here with me.Then, up above, the seasons marched onand onWithout us.Even Orpheus was powerless to help,And silenced.

And now!I glory in the wealth of each new day!The years of darkness fade into the mistsOf time.And all around, the stories come to life -Carmina morte carent.Songs do not die.

D.K. ”

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the team that would be involved with the visitinggroups of school children, helping with theinterpretation of the material. For these childrenthe War is almost ancient history; when I was theirage it was a recent memory. I was approachingthe exhibition from a broad perspective but verylittle detail and, to be perfectly honest, I wasn’tquite sure how I was going to react to the material.” Helen added: “Guiding children through the

display boards was essential- left to their own devices, theywould have skimmed, but thefact that this was the story ofa young person to whom theycould relate was a keyelement in the success of thedisplay. The children wereclearly stunned by what theysaw but in the follow-updiscussions, there was no

cynicism or bravado in their responses. What wasclear was their shock, even though they knewsomething of the story.” Joy admitted she has never felt so personallydrained after an education tour as she did in thisexhibition, and yet there was a great sense ofachievement in leading the discussion groupsafterwards. The process of deeper understandingwas started of how something as simple asbullying behaviour can go on to produce fear andentrapment for a child - for a nation. No-one could have been unaffected by whatthey saw and the exhibition transformed a tragicstory into a positive experience.

The very successful Anne Frank exhibition,which the Villa was privileged to host recently,was an exhibition with a difference. Several ofour volunteer guides were specially trained tofocus attention on key issues and to leaddiscussion afterwards. The displays provided amuch deeper insight into the realities of Anne’ssituation than perhaps the children would havebeen aware of. It was designed to be thoughtprovoking and the museumGuides directed attention tosome of the ways in whichher experiences can berelated to our lives today. Jill writes: “Like othersof my generation the periodfollowing the end of WW2was one of readjustment aswartime restrictions weregradually removed and lifedeveloped a new normality. There was also agrowing awareness as information emerged asto what had actually been going on during theWar because so much had previously beenhidden from the British public. The evidence fromthe concentration camps was shocking andhorrifying, but it was revealed at a time whenadults tended to protect children from suchhorrors so there was a limited, censored amountof knowledge, but little else. In some ways Iknew the context in which Anne Frank grew upand died and I also knew of her diary, but thatwas all. When the decision was made to mountan Anne Frank exhibition at the Villa I had asomewhat detached attitude; I would be one of

The Anne Frank exhibition

The Friends have gained an enviable (andenvied) reputation for their commitmentand support for the Villa at Brading. By thesame token, Chris Piggott and her staff richlydeserve recognition, too - and not just for theamazing amount of work such a small teamaccomplishes. This winter’s terrible weather hitthe Midlands and North of England particularlybadly but the Isle of Wight got its share, too.Brading Roman Villa is in a particularly exposedarea and nowhere near gritted or snow ploughedroads, yet it it was one of very few places on theIsland to keep open during the heavy snowfall inJanuary. All the Villa staff deserved the special

vote of thanks given to them at The Friends’ AGMfor their determination and efforts.

Chris Piggott

A Winter’s Tale

Sandy’s Lament - I can’t bend my knees no moreI can’t bend my knees, they’re sore.

I can’t bend my knees, And it hurts when I sneeze, Need some therapy please, dear Lord.

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The Friends of Brading Roman VillaReg.Charity No. 1110720

Morton Old Road, Brading, Isle of Wight PO36 0ENTelephone: 01983 811408 Email: mail@friendsofbradingromanvilla.com www.bradingromanvilla.org.uk

FBRV Trustees and Officers:

President. Sam Twining LVO, CBE, DL; Chairman:. Mary Clements; Vice-Chairman:. Jill Savage; Treasurer:. Ursula Clark ; Membership Secretary:. Pat BarberExec. Trustees: Wendy Gannon; John Hardy; Michael Jennings

CAR

BOOT SALES

are back!Pitches open for business

every Saturday until October.If you would like to sell, then please

arrive no later than 10am and the feeis £5 per vehicle.

It’s free to come and buy, but why notcombine your visit with a trip aroundthe Villa? Or lunch in the Café that’srapidly gaining a reputation as one of

the Island’s finest.

Who haunts the longforgotten halls of

the Villa?

As part of the International Museums atNight Festival, join Marc Tuckey for a

candlelit tour of the Villa and beentertained with spooky tales of the

Island’s past.Friday, 14th May, 7pm

Tickets: £10 adults£5 children up to 16 years

Includes supper.

EuropeanFood Market

Coming soon

Sample the delights of our nearneighbours as fresh food arrives

from the Continent and onto a stallat the Villa. With plenty of parking,who needs a cross Channel ferry

when the cheese and sausage cancome to you?

Brading’sBig Dig

Sir Barry Cunliffe and his team returnto the Villa to continue the exploration

from 1st to 21st August.See live archaeology unfold - why not

spend some volunteer time helpingshepherd the public on site or in the

dig team’s catering tent?We are still raising funds for the Digso if you can help with a donation,

please contact The Friends on01983 811408

in togas?Award-winning outdoor theatre

company, Illyria, returns to BradingRoman Villa this summer to presentJane Austen’s much loved novel for

one night only -Sunday, 18th July at 7pm

Tickets £14 adult,£10 child (up to 16 years)Group Rates (10+) £12.50

Summer holidays:

23rd July to 6th September

Our new Art Trolley makes a return,along with activity trails and costumedguides. Visitors will also have thechance to see items from ourpermanent collection as well asrecreated objects that offer a glimpseinto the social and domestic lives of ourRoman ancestors. All this in additionto the BBC-sponsored MedusaMeadow and the Villa itself.

OPEN AIR CINEMA

Bring a picnic and enjoy a great movieunder the stars. The Isle of Wight’s

only open air cinema returns to BradingRoman Villa on

Friday, 20th August.The film starts at sunset so arrive inplenty of time to get the best spot.

Film title and ticket details to beconfirmed. Let us know if you have aparticular favourite you’d like to see.

The Friends of Brading Roman Villa

Saturday, 31st July, 2010

TheUnity

StompersJazzBand

7 to 10.30 pm

is printed and published by The Friends of Brading Roman Villa. It does not necessarily represent the views or

opinions of the Staff Archaeologists, or the Trustees of the Oglander Roman Trust, and no responsibility is taken

for the accuracy or validity of the contents

at Brading Roman Villa

The FriendsGardening Group

needs extra pairs ofhands!

Are there any gardeners amongstour members who would like to join

our gardening team?

It’s a special 3rd Century ‘Roman’garden, featuring plants known tohave grown here in Roman times.

If you are interested, please ringVeronica Williams or John Hardy

01983 811408