Legion: Life in the Roman Army was... fine? | British Museum Exhibit Review
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- Опубликовано: 29 апр 2024
- I thought that Legion: Life in the Roman Army was… fine? While there were parts that I very much enjoyed, it had several glaring issues concerning accessibility, crowds, and dramatic shifts in tone.
There was also a rat.
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Horrible Histories is worth a watch. I think it'd be right up your alley!
I love horrible histories, in Ontario it was on TVO. The group of people who did horrible histories also did the show ghosts in the UK and a few other things.
Horrible Histories is the reason I got into history, and I know a lot of people around my age were much the same (my university history course was full of people who loved HH growing up). Thanks, as always, for the lovely video; thank you so much for sharing!
I'm surprised to learn that the rat seems to have been used to direct children away from the more "challenging" aspects of the history because the Horrible Histories books and show are, as the name suggests, keen to highlight more lurid/gruesome aspects of history. Obviously that does mean that there's a sensationalisation of events that might not always be useful or appropriate, but they do at least provide proof that children are interested in this kind of material. I wonder if there was some doubt that children would be able to engage with the more serious topics but I've seen exhibits with a more adult focus that did very well meeting kids where they're at without patronising them.
Anyway, more importantly, the rat was the worst part of the Horrible Histories show I hate that prick
Not even heard of this exhibition but am a museum fan and I was hanging on to your every word as I was watching this. This was such a thoughtful and well presented review. I too hate crowded exhibits to the point where I can't read the information. What is the point of putting all that information down if you admit so many people hardly anyone can read it? Thanks for this excellent review.
Thank you!!
I've really enjoyed binge watching your videos recently, I was stoked when I saw you posted! 😄 Appreciate you mentioning the lack of accesiblity for the writing/information available in exhibits, I also find it harder to get younger kids to focus on the learning aspect/cool facts instead of going to the museum just to stare at things lol
That makes me so happy, thank you!
I love your museum reviews. My general observation about tourist destinations in the 21st century is that they are all vastly overcrowded. We were at the Louvre in a crushing crowd all day long. Mont St. Michelle in France was likewise body to body--very unpleasant. I'm glad the public is interested in museums, but i don't do well in crowds.
The British Museum cluelessly juxtaposing the adult story with the rat children's narration does not surprise me at all. They are tone-deaf to a lot these days . I was last there 25 years ago on a rainy day and it was jammed.
We were in Coronado, California in February and saw a very interesting museum dedicated to the settling of the town. At first it was settled by a few African American families. Later, came white settlers. It told the story with photos, genealogical charts, census records and charts about professions, school attendance, demographic maps, etc. This was probably a pp-up museum because I wasn't able to find out very much about it online. Small, well organized and a coherent narrative. Loved it.
Looking forward to future videos.
That pop-up sounds really interesting, thanks for sharing
Yeah, I don't really know Horrible Histories either. HISTORY BITES FTW.
Hi
Not sure if you have seen. BBC2 is doing a program on the "Thief at the British museum" I thought you would be.
interested
Xx
Had similar thoughts about how disruptive some of the kids games were, specifically the dice area you were talking about. Also there was a “wheel of misfortune” that was rather loud when spun.
Agreed with it being overcrowded but I also managed to get a ticket short notice so I’m kind of a hypocrite for complaining about that. I’m not sure what is proper etiquette at museums or zoos when things get very crowded. I felt like I was trying to keep myself out of other peoples views as much as possible whereas no one else seemed to be extending that same courtesy. One of the busts of Augustus early on into the exhibit was hogged by a man taking photos for what seemed like an unnecessary amount of time, with no apparent realization he was hampering the viewing experience of many. Another patron had a literal chair (not a wheelchair or walker) he brought with him and would set it up in front of whatever plaque/item he was reading/viewing, just seemed rather inconsiderate to me.
I agree with the idea of starting from the beginning of someone’s career going to retirement and that being a very interesting and intuitive way of showcasing the history.
I very much enjoyed the exhibit in all honesty, though I don’t frequent museums much and I also haven’t seen many other Roman exhibits so I don’t have much to compare it to. I just began reading up heavily on Roman history in the last 2 years and so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to visit a Roman exhibition.
Also interesting take about human remains, something I will have to ponder. Made me wonder how would feel if my remains were shown thousands of years from now.
You don't know Horrible Histories? It was on Disney in the early morning in the 2000s in the US and I would also watch it in high school history class. The little rat is the most annoying part, but he is recognizable to small children and I am glad he's there to provide context
The horrible histories books and tv series is so popular here in the uk amongst the 7-11 age group that it doesn’t surprise me that the British museum has worked it into their exhibitions. The Roman focus will be because it’s on the primary school curriculum here, therefore many, many schools in London use the British Museum as their history trip. I’d be very surprised if the same hasn’t been done with the Egyptian exhibitions, as that too is a UK curriculum topic, and part of the Horrible Histories series.
The British museum has not been fantastically great for kids in the past, and is competing with the science museum and the natural history museum, so this must be their attempt to compete. I’ve taken many school groups to the museum, and they never held a candle to even the V&A in terms of what they offered to school groups.
I’m no longer teaching in London, so I haven’t seen this particular exhibition, and I can’t comment on how good it is, but it sounds like they’ve bought into the HH franchise, and have probably done some kind of mutually agreeable deal where the researchers for both might help each other out. The tv series in particular is a big deal, and there are very few kids of primary age that don’t know the franchise.
I thought the rat was fine. I saw many children engage with the rat, the games and the actual notices and information. I don't think it is a problem.