Imperial Romans New Zealand
  • WELCOME
    • About us
    • Coming events >
      • Event checklists
      • Overseas Events >
        • Natale di Roma
    • Club page
    • Club checklists
    • Roman Workshop
    • Club Temple
    • Media page
    • Resources >
      • Clothing & Kit Guides
      • Choosing a Name
      • Suppliers
      • Links
    • Tribute to John
  • LEGIO VI
    • Joining the Army
    • Roman Soldiers >
      • Roman armour
      • Roman tunics
      • Roman helmets
      • Roman weapons
      • Roman shields >
        • Dura-Europos Shield
      • Marching kit
      • Roman tents
      • Camp items
      • Ballista scorpion
      • Legionary insigna
      • War trophy
    • Club training
    • Leg VI History >
      • Roman Archaeology
      • Antony coinage
    • Marching Songs
    • Sister Clubs
    • Roman Auxiliaries
    • Roman Cavalry
    • Enemies of Rome
    • Roman Navy
    • Military Religion >
      • Military Oath
      • Military Altars
  • GLADIATORS
    • Becoming a Gladiator
    • Outline of Games
    • History of Gladiators
    • Gladiator weapons
    • The Gladiatrix
    • Gladiator Tombstone
  • ROMANS
    • Roman Time Period >
      • Chinese-Romans
    • Club Celebrations >
      • Lupercalia
    • Roman Women >
      • Roman hairstyles
    • Educational Assets >
      • Peutinger Map
      • Codex manuscript
      • Roman Lararium
      • Roman Coinage
      • Roman Elephant Plate
      • Roman wax tablets
      • Roman triremes
      • Roman fasces
      • Vicarello cup
      • Dura-Europos Map
      • Ravenna Cosmography
      • Wind-Rose Map
      • Roman bow-puller
      • Roman dice tower
      • Roman Dodecahedron
      • Board games
      • Roman torc
      • Jeweled helmet
      • Praetorian guard
    • Great Library of Rome >
      • De Re Militari
      • Hyginus Roman Camp
      • Notitia Dignitatum
    • Simple Latin
    • Roman dress
    • Cooking with Apicius
    • Roman Music
  • GALLERY
    • 2019 Gallery >
      • Tauranga Romans
    • 2018 Gallery >
      • Saturnalia MMXVIII
      • Papatoetoe Xmas
      • Glen Eden Xmas
      • Grey Lynn Festival
      • Highland Games
      • Armistice in Cambridge
      • Italian Festival
      • Auckgeddon
      • School Visit
      • Spring training
      • Hadrian's Wall
      • Augusta Raurica
      • Chedworth Villa
      • Archeon
      • Netflix Master of Rome
      • Kristin School
      • Rome's Birthday
      • Nimes Gladiator
      • HMB Rome
      • Autumn Festival
      • Cultural Festival
      • Autumn training
      • Lantern Festival
      • Howick Festival
      • Fringe Festival 3
      • Fringe Festival 2
      • Fringe Festival 1
      • Roman fighting
      • Julius Caesar
      • Battering Ram
      • NZ Police Romans
      • Roman workshop
      • Roman training
      • Forest Romans
      • Summer training
    • 2017 Gallery >
      • Saturnalia Party
      • Papatoetoe Santa
      • Summer Training
      • Glen Eden Santa
      • Queen St Santa Pd
      • Grey Lynn Festival
      • Highland Games
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • Armageddon
      • Festival Italiano
      • Roman Hobby
      • Film Shoot
      • Leg III Cyrenaica
      • Model X Romans
      • Armageddon Tauranga
      • Natale di Roma
      • Cultural festival
      • Autumn training
      • Summer Festival
      • School visit
      • Lantern Festival
      • Summer training
      • Medieval Faire
      • Roman school
    • 2016 Gallery >
      • Papatoetoe Santa
      • St Cuthbert's Girls
      • REIGN OF BLOOD
      • Queen St Santa Pd
      • Grey Lynn Festival
      • Glen Eden Xmas
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • Italian Pavilion
      • Auckageddon
      • 4 Flat Whites in Italy
      • Dave LXX Natalis
      • Festival Italiano
      • John Nagels
      • Roman Training
      • CLASSOC Quiz Night
      • Rutherford Romans
      • School Temple Visit >
        • Lays of Ancient Rome
      • Waldorf Faire
      • K Rd Romans
      • Cambridge Festival
      • Antony & Cleopatra
      • Easter Show
      • Hamilton Gardens
      • Cultural Festival
      • Roma-geddon
      • Military Tattoo
      • Art in a Day
      • NZ Lantern Festival
      • NZ Medieval Faire
    • 2015 Gallery >
      • Saturnalia
      • Roman Film Shoot
      • NZ Xmas Parade
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • Armageddon
      • Albany Mall
      • Wald Medieval Faire
      • King's College
      • Dr Sketchy Romans
      • NZ Medieval Faire
      • Helensville Show
      • Military Tattoo
      • Vikings TV show
      • Camp Quality
    • 2014 Gallery >
      • NZ Xmas Parade
      • GE Xmas Parade
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • Waikato Museum
      • Roman Cavalry
    • 2013 Gallery >
      • Saturnalia
      • GE Xmas Parade
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • O'Hara Estate Camp
      • Roman Cavalry
      • TV Commercial
      • Music Video
      • Wald Medieval Faire
      • Military Tattoo
    • 2012 Gallery >
      • NZ Xmas Parade
      • GE Xmas Parade
      • Armistice Cambridge
      • Armageddon
      • Good Morning TV
      • McLean's School
      • Hamilton Gardens
      • Military Tattoo
      • Taupo Medieval
      • Club gear
    • 2011 Gallery
    • 2010 Gallery
    • 2009 Gallery
    • 2008 Gallery
    • 2007 Gallery
    • 2006 Gallery
  • CONTACT
    • Membership
    • Book us for an Event
    • School Visits

Rutherford College Roman Night - IV Augustus MMXVI


Club member Darren White, Head of the Classics Dept at Rutherford College, invited the Romans and Gladiators to help promote their Open Night, and inspire today's youth that studying the classics is not dry dusty books, but plenty of action, clashing steel and the baying mob howling for blood! There were hundreds of families through, and eyes would widen like saucers as they looked up at Mitch Green, the giant gladiator, the last thing they'd expected to see. He was good for demonstrating why short Romans and Greeks wore those fluffy helmet crests to look taller when fighting big naked Gauls. The kids got to try on Roman helms, heft a gladius, and hide behind shields. Lisa had them scrawling on wax-tablets, and doing hard labour turning the wheat-grinding-wheel. She was dressed as a noble Roman matron in all her finery, and one small girl with a lisp looked up in awe and asked, "Are you a princess?" While some of the Dads there to sign up their kids seemed a little more interested in joining the legion themselves. Dave Layzell was a science teacher at Rutherford in the early 1970s, but ruthlessly helped the Classics beat the Science dept for best display! Everybody had a really fun enjoyable evening.

The gladiators moved outside to fight in an eerie dark lit arena while the watching crowd thronged the balconies. We had young Marcus Carnifex the Butcher fighting as a murmillo against crafty old Decebalus the Dacian fighting as a hoplomachus. The first fight saw the bloodthirsty crowd vote thumbs-down for death, but after the second fight when they had seen and learnt to appreciate the skill involved they decided that Decebalus was worthy of life, and so he earned the wooden rudis of freedom while Marcus waved the palm leaf of victory. The sounds of the weapons clashing, and the clang when the spear hit our murmillo's helmet had one mother gasping and covering her youngest child's eyes. But we showed them our fighters were fine, and it was all in good fun - we who are about to die salute you!

Picture