Download Who were the Romans?

Who were the Romans?
The Romans were a famous ancient civilisation, just
like ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, or ancient
Greece. They came from the city of Rome, which is
now the capital of Italy, but was then the centre of
a huge empire. Like ancient Egypt or Greece, Roman
civilisation was very advanced compared with others
at that time. The thing that made the Romans
different was that they used their technology and
large army to explore and rule places all across the
continent of Europe and North Africa.
Around 2,000 years ago, Britain was ruled by tribes of
people called the Celts. But this was about to change. For
around a century, the Roman army had been building an
Empire across Europe. Now it was coming for Britain!
In AD43, the full might of the Roman army landed on the
beaches in Kent. Over the next year it battled inland,
storming through hillforts and chopping down anyone
who stood in their way.
The Romans wanted Britain's precious metals. They called the land ‘Britannia’, which meant
'land of tin'. However, they weren't just a destructive force - they built new forts, new
settlements and roads. They spread their culture, language and laws. At the same time as
many Romans lived in large towns and cities, with roads and big buildings under the rule of a
huge empire, the people in the British Isles were still living in what was known as the Iron
Age.
Before the Roman invasion, the British Isles were much less developed and life was very
different from life in Rome. There were no roads in Britain, like there were in Rome, and
people still lived in small huts made from wood. These buildings did not last as long as the
stone ones that the Romans had. This is just one reason why we know more about what
happened in Britain after the Romans arrived than before. Romans also had emperors who
ruled over the whole empire with their armies, but in Britain there were lots of smaller
tribes, each with their own king. This made it easier for the Romans when they decided to
invade Britain because they only had to defeat smaller tribes rather than one big country
where everyone fought together.
Despite their large, organised army and modern weapons, the Romans did not find it easy to
conquer Britain. The famous general Julius Caesar invaded first, in 55 BC, but he thought it
would be a big job to conquer Britain. So it was not for almost one hundred years that the
Romans tried again, in 43 AD. This time the invasion was led by Emperor Claudius, who sent
a large army to Britain. It must have been a terrifying sight!
Information sourced from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9j4kqt
http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/year2historyromansinbritainlarge.php