Comments on: Sensing Portus

By: Pauline Hey

Pauline Hey — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 22:23:54 +0000

Most of us are visual learners (about 85% I think) ‘I see what you mean etc’, but some are auditory ‘I hear what you say’ etc . I have not come across olfactory learners before and it is interesting that the first run of this course produced a number of them. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) occasionally publishes articles related to this topic and may be be able to help as to what is already known

By: Pamela roskilly

Pamela roskilly — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 18:06:42 +0000

I have found the course both challenging and perplexing. I knew nothing of the romans I will have to do another course to make sense of what I have found out. The information is extensive. And if you understand I’m sure it is relevant but I got confused

By: Jenny Wray

Jenny Wray — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 15:12:21 +0000

I find that the amount of light in photos gives an idea of what you might smell. Sounds odd, but the word dark goes with damp, dark also goes with curiosity. What can we see or make out in the dim light? I can forget parts of a picture, but never forget a smell. Is it musty, damp, vegetation or the unique smell that comes from old bricks with a taint of dust or from deeper a urine taint?

Nothing on screen/PC can match or equate to visiting, touching, smelling and hearing what you are seeing.

By: Jenny Rivron

Jenny Rivron — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 11:58:51 +0000

The sense of smell can be very evocative in relating a period in time to an archaeological reconstruction. In the Viking centre in York , smells
And sounds have been reproduced to give an example of what life was like
During this period. It is very interesting but in terms of historical interest
It can be a bit far fetched..
The Portus course is excellent. Thank you.

By: Trevor Newman

Trevor Newman — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 12:06:00 +0000

I have been fascinated in this course and as a consequence by the effects of mass labour and its clearly essential control in Portus. Seeing a working port as in Southampton today and it’s containerisation operation is nothing like 50/60 years ago where, for example, where I was brought up, you could not walk along the quayside for the sheer scrum of humanity involved in the importing of potatoes and tomatoes from the Channel Islands on to lorries and trains. The noise was immense. Similarly the exodus from the dockyards et the end of each day. (Thousands of cyclists and pedestrians). In a labour intense and less mechanically advanced society this must have been an even more extraordinary experience and it would be magnificent if this could be exemplified.

By: David Hammond

David Hammond — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 11:40:41 +0000

It is fascinating to see this sort of research being done including the work by Catriona on sounds. This sort of holistic approach to archaeology had never occurred to me before. I think the results of archaeological research in the 21st century are going to be extremely exciting to laymen who see the benefit of it.