IB Students Spend Day of Culture in Cambridge
Our Form 6 IB students spent an inspiring day of culture in Cambridge, exploring one of its museums and uncovering the city’s rich history.
As part of their work in Theory of Knowledge (TOK) lessons, the students visited the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, examining the role of museums in society and how objects can represent cultures and construct identity.
Head of Theory of Knowledge, Carla Maitland-Todd, said: “This experience will offer valuable ideas for our students’ exhibition work, which is a key element of their TOK examination.”
The day concluded with a guided walking tour of Cambridge, uncovering the city’s rich history and the iconic collegiate system of its university.
Academic Administrator Clare Dunderdale, who accompanied the trip, said: “Sarah-Jane took us around the museum and told us about various artefacts. Archaeologists are very interested in dental plaque as it can contain fragments of food allowing them to discern what the peoples ate and, therefore, what the environment around them was like – e.g. fish scales = watery environment. In particular, Sarah-Jane mentioned the skeleton of a medieval woman whose plaque behind her teeth was stained blue. It was surmised that this was the dye in the paint that was on the brush she was licking to get a super-fine point for illuminating manuscripts. These blues were usually made from ground Lapis Lazuli.
Everyone thought the porcupine fish helmet was amazing and several students wanted one of their own.
The museum has five potatoes on display. Three are freeze dried and from Peru. The local people realised that by taking the potatoes up into the high mountains they could be preserved through freeze-drying. When the potatoes were out of season these preserved spuds could be re-constituted by placing them in hot water. The very first SMASH instant mash!! The other two potatoes are from the Cambridgeshire Fens and are also preserved. These were kept for luck and are known as ‘Trouser pocket potatoes’.”
