The reconstruction of an ancient Roman garden

This Sunday, June 25th, members of the Virtus Antiqua reenactment association from Cluj invite volunteers and the general public to take part in yet another experimental archaeology meeting at their center Camp Virtus, in the village of Salicea, near Cluj-Napoca. The meeting envisages the reconstruction of an ancient Roman garden, with beds for medicinal, cooking, and decorative plants that the ancient Roman would have known and used. Due to the access of goats at Camp Virtus, the gardens needs to be protected by a wattle fence, the construction of which, with local materials, shall take up most of the meeting. Still, it shall not be all work, as we will also cook an ancient recipe inspired by Apicius' De re coquinaria - cabbage and cauliflower with spices and pig meat sausages. The event is part of the ongoing cultural project entitled "Labyrinth through time" that encourages outdoors historical learning for families of volunteers.

See you at Camp Virtus, ca. 8 km. from Cluj, between 11 AM and 16 PM to help us with some historical reconstruction and tasting. Join our Facebook event for all the details and find inspiration checking out our image collections regarding reconstructions of Roman gardens, ancient gardening tools, and plants known during Antiquity. 

The Roman garden - experimental archaeology workshop at Camp Virtus

Roman garden reconstruction in Cluj-Napoca, part of the botanical garden

 

Current state of the garden reconstruction at Camp Virtus

Gladiatorial news from Virtus Antiqua

In its first show this year, during the Free Dacians' Festival in Baia Mare, Romania, held between May 19th and 21st, our reenactment association Virtus Antiqua has presented some of its novelties. These new elements have been included in the traditional show - a day in Ludus Memnii, the gladiatorial school of Gaius Memnius Primus. This year we present not only fights between recruits and gladiators, but also between gladiatrices, though a rarer sight in ancient Rome, makes for a more tasty depiction of such shows and events. Another addition is the inclusion of auxiliary soldiers in the show, part of the story of conflicts and rebellions inside the gladiatorial training school. The third novelty consists of the dance of the priestesses, not only that of the dancers embodying the ancient furies.

See more photos from the show in Baia Mare HERE.

 

Virtus Antiqua arms presentation stand at Festivalul Dacii Liberi

Gladiatrices from Virtus Antiqua

Auxiliary Roman soldiers chastising rebelling gladiators

Dance of the Batavian priestesses