Peasants and noblemen clashed swords before feasting at a communal banquet as part of The Illawarra Grammar School's Medieval Day on Monday.
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The themed day was inspired by year 7's history program, which is currently focused on Medieval Europe.
Seventy students spent the day learning about the Magna Carta, medieval weaponry, dancing and games before joining a medieval-inspired feast.
TIGS history teacher Karen McPhate was impressed by the array of costumes students had made, representing four social classes - peasants, knights, clergy and nobles.
"They are doing an assessment task at the moment so they are having a month in medieval Europe," Ms McPhate said.
"We hope they will have a heightened awareness of what medieval times were about. To be able to touch and feel things makes you understand more about the history than just reading about it."
The students were asked to choose their social class, a task TIGS student Archie Long enjoyed, as he researched and made his nobleman's costume.
"Peasants sounded slightly boring and I noticed everyone was doing peasants so I didn't want to do that. I chose a nobleman, plus it also meant I could wear a gold satin robe and powder my face, which is always fun to do," Archie said.
As for the experiences of a nobleman in medieval Europe, only the king would have had a better lifestyle.
"I might have gone to university or, at least, had some form of formal schooling, because most people didn't. Literacy wasn't considered particularly important," he said.
"[I'd] probably be getting slowly poisoned by the lead in my make-up. I don't have a wig that I could wear, but if I did, it would probably be lice infested."
As for the banquet, Ms McPhate said students would be dining on cheese, bread, apples, pears and berries.
"They'll also have whole chickens, and they won't be using knives so they'll have to use their fingers to pull them apart."