Writing Londinium with the Five Senses

Abstract

In this paper, children's author Caroline Lawrence shares specific examples of how she gets inspiration for her historical novels by using the five senses. Based on a practical session during a conference on sensory archaeology, she writes about visiting museums and reenactment events, handling real and replica objects and trying to find other sensory links to the ancient world. Visual inspirations include the bones of the so-called Lant Street Teen from a Roman graveyard in Southwark, an ivory and iron knife buried with her and leather bikini bottom from a Roman era well. Bay leaves, frankincense and mastic have been found in Roman graves and along with the fishy scent of garum they provide olfactory inspiration. During the conference attendees chewed mastic gum, scraped scented oil off their forearms with a replica strigil and sipped posca: water diluted with vinegar. After several other practical examples, Caroline concludes with a purely imaginary guided meditation. 

Keywords

• sensory archaeology
• five senses
• mastic
• bones
• osteobiography
• Roman London