- What is it about Latin that makes it such a fascinating subject to study at St Columba’s?
Two things. First, the Ancient World is like an alternate universe: gladiator shows, wonderfully mad emperors, epic battles with war elephants. I could go on all day.
Second, it all happened right here. St Albans was Roman Verulamium, and when Boudica’s rebel army swept through southern Britain, it tore straight through the ground our school now stands on. When we dug the foundations for our artificial pitches, we uncovered an archaeological site with Roman skeletons, still largely unexplored, just ten metres from the Latin Room! I’d argue there’s nowhere better in the world to study Rome. We are Roman history.
- You’ve just returned from a trip to Pompeii with our students. What were the highlights, and what did the pupils discover that they couldn’t have learnt in the classroom?
Standing at Caecilius’ house with them was incredibly emotional. Their journey began five years ago with “Caecilius est in horto”, and there we were, so many years and so many miles later, having come full circle. I’d brought photocopies of that very first lesson, and we reflected together on the pilgrimage we’d completed. You simply can’t get that online.
- Pompeii offers such an extraordinary window into Roman life. Was there anything that particularly surprised or captured the imagination of our students?
When Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, it buried Pompeii and preserved it for posterity. We walked its streets, stepped into its houses and met its inhabitants, frozen where they fell. But the real showstopper was lunch. When archaeologists opened the bakery ovens, the loaves the bakers had put in that morning were still there, carbonised but perfectly recognisable. Nearly two thousand years on, you can see exactly what Pompeii was having for breakfast. We were blown away.
- Latin is often seen as a traditional subject, but how does it help students develop skills that are valuable well beyond the classroom?
Latin is the most “whole” subject you can study. You explore an entire civilisation: its literature, history, politics, philosophy, drama, mythology, military, art, architecture and entertainment. When you study every strand of a society, you see how they all fit together, and that gives Latin students a remarkably sophisticated understanding of the world.
- For students considering Latin, or wondering where it might lead, what would you say to encourage them to give it a go?
I can only speak from experience. When I was ten, my dad took me to see Raiders of the Lost Ark, and I knew instantly that I wanted adventures around the world, hunting for buried treasure and mysterious ancient manuscripts. I followed that dream into archaeology and teaching (Indiana Jones was a teacher too, after all). It also took me somewhere unexpected: the biggest law firm in London hired me because they thought my knowledge of the Ancient World was brilliant, and I hadn’t studied a day of law.
The ancient world is everywhere in modern media, too. Film (Gladiator, The Odyssey) and video games (Assassin’s Creed, God of War, Fortnite) all draw heavily on classical themes. So study it because you love it, and see where the adventure takes you!
- What’s one thing about Roman life that would have our students thinking, “Actually, life was pretty good back then”, and one thing that would make them very glad they live in 2026?
Roman life was tremendously communal. When the town gathered for a comedy, the whole place packed into the theatre, and the roars of laughter could be heard for miles.
On the other hand, I’d rather not need a Roman dentist or surgeon. Medicine was all about bravery and no anaesthetic.
