Download Roman Britain - Text, Images and Quiz (Reading Level C)

Roman Britain – Information Book (Reading Level C)
The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was one of the
biggest and most powerful empires that
the world has ever seen. At its height, it
stretched from the Middle East, through
Western Europe and North Africa, all the
way to Britain!
The centre of the Empire was the great
city of Rome (now part of Italy). Rome
had many emperors during its long
history, some more famous than others.
They had absolute authority, backed up
by a huge army. At that time, the Roman
emperor would have been the most
powerful ruler in the world.
The Roman army is well known for having been well-disciplined and organised. They used
technology that was very advanced for the time, such as complex mechanical catapults. The
Roman army planned their military strategies to the finest detail, making the best use of their troops
and equipment. They even used elephants in battles! The army was made up of 15 ‘legions’, each
containing about 5,000 men. This mighty force was rarely defeated and was responsible for
conquering and maintaining the whole Roman Empire.
By around 2,000 years ago, Rome’s territory was already huge. It had pushed north-west into the
region called Gaul which is now modern-day France. The next challenge was to cross the sea and
invade the island of Britain.
Roman Invasion of Britain
Britain’s first contact with the Romans
came in 55 BC, when the great emperor
and general, Julius Caesar, invaded
with his army. However, the tough Celtic
tribes of Iron Age Britain resisted
fiercely and Caesar was soon forced out
of the country. He came back again one
year later, this time with more troops.
Again he retreated, deciding that Britain
was not worth fighting a long war for.
It wasn’t until almost 100 years later that
the Romans invaded Britain again. This
time it was planned by the Emperor
Claudius and he took no chances. His
army of four legions (about 20,000 men)
came in a huge fleet of ships, landing in southern England in AD 43. A large military fortress was
established at Camulodunum (now Colchester, in Essex), and a Roman temple built nearby. The
town soon became the Roman capital of ‘Britannia’ (the Roman name for Britain).
The Romans quickly took control of the south and east of England. However, tribes in Wales, and
in northern England and Scotland, put up a vicious fight. In fact, it was many years before England
and Wales were fully conquered. Large parts of Scotland never were!
Roman Britain – Information Book (Reading Level C)
Boudica’s Revolt
Some of the tribes in Britain made deals with
the Roman invaders: they could keep rule
over their own land but, in return, would have
to pay taxes to the Romans and swear
allegiance to the emperor.
One of these tribes was the Iceni, in eastern
England, ruled by a man called Prasutagus
and his wife Boudica. However, when
Prasutagus died, the Romans betrayed this
agreement, taking his land and attacking his
family. This caused huge anger amongst the
Iceni people. Queen Boudica gathered
together an army and launched a huge revolt against the Romans. Most of the Roman army was
busy trying to crush the tribes that were still fighting them in Wales, so there was little to stop
Boudica’s army on the opposite side of the country. As the rebels marched south, they left death
and destruction wherever they went, burning three major Roman-ruled cities to the ground.
It is estimated that Boudica’s army massacred about 80,000 people – both Romans and Britons
(many Britons would have fought for their Roman masters and would have been considered
Boudica’s enemy). Eventually, the Roman army, with superior tactics and weapons, defeated the
rebel army in the Battle of Watling Street.
This Roman victory ended further resistance against the Romans within southern Britain and
Roman rule was accepted for the next 350 years.
Hadrian’s Wall
By about AD 100, over 50 years after they first invaded Britain, the Romans had finally secured all
of what is now England and Wales. However, tribes in the north of Scotland, known as the Picts,
were still putting up a tough fight. The Picts would never have beaten the Roman army in open
battle, so instead they used different tactics, such as ambushing Roman patrols and attacking their
camps at night.
Scotland is very mountainous, which made it difficult for the Roman army to march around, but
easy for the Picts to travel and live undetected in the many valleys. Hadrian, Roman emperor at the
time, decided that it was no longer worth wasting money and troops trying to conquer Scotland.
Instead he ordered that an enormous wall should
be built, from coast to coast, to protect the
Roman territory to the south. This wall became
known as Hadrian’s Wall and was built roughly
along the border that now separates England and
Scotland. Many guard towers and forts were built
into it. Hundreds of soldiers were on constant
patrol.
Originally 73.5 miles long, Hadrian’s Wall was
used to defend the Roman border for over 250
years; it was built so well that large parts of it can
still be seen today, almost 2,000 years later!
Roman Britain – Information Book (Reading Level C)
Religion
The Romans worshipped many different gods,
all of whom had different purposes and
personalities. Jupiter was the king of the gods,
while Mars was the god of war, and Neptune
was the god of the sea. These were some of
the most important, but there were many
hundreds more.
People could worship gods in temples and
also at home, where they often kept shrines
(miniature temples). Offerings, such as food,
money or flowers, were made to statues of the
gods. Sometimes priests in the temples
sacrificed animals as part of special
ceremonies.
The native people of Britain also believed in many gods. The Romans didn’t force the conquered
Britons to follow Roman religion, but the two did become slightly mixed up. The Celtic gods and
Roman gods who seemed similar were thought of as the same.
Eventually, religious beliefs started to change all over the Roman Empire, as Christianity became
more popular. At first Christianity was illegal in any part of the Empire, and anyone found practising
it was severely punished - if not killed! However, it gradually became more accepted and, in 391
AD, Emperor Theodosius I made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. The Romans are
credited as first bringing Christianity to Britain, and it has been the main religion there ever since!
Britannia
So what was life like in Roman Britannia? In the north and west of the land, the Celtic way of life did
not change very much. Many Celtic tribes were allowed to rule themselves, as long as they paid
taxes to the Romans.
In the south and east of England, however, Roman culture had a greater impact. New Roman
towns were built, with very straight roads and grand buildings in the centre. Celtic people would
have lived on the edge of the towns, often working as merchants and craftsmen.
Towns had public buildings built, and councils were formed to oversee business matters. Water
was supplied to towns, channelled from rivers and springs across aqueducts (water bridges). Public
baths were widely used, as everybody was
expected to keep themselves clean.
Sewage and sanitation systems were
established. The grandest houses even
had early forms of central heating!
In the largest towns, there were stadiums
for entertainment, called amphitheatres,
where gladiators would fight to the death in
front of hundreds of people. The British
diet also altered, as the Romans imported
wine, olive oil and salted fish. The Roman
Empire had changed Britain ... and it
would never be the same again.
Roman Britain – Information Book (Reading Level C)
Quiz Questions – these questions are to test pupils’ comprehension of the text and are
page-referenced.
1
Why was the Roman army usually
victorious?
Its discipline
Its soldiers were tall and strong
Its soldiers liked travelling
Which country did the Romans conquer
before tackling what is now known as
Britain?
Sweden
Italy
France
2
Which emperor first successfully invaded
and settled in ‘Britannia’?
Caesar
Claudius
Camulodunum
Where was the Roman capital?
London
Essex
Manchester
3
How did the Romans get the support of
local leaders?
Killing their families
Letting them rule but making them pay tax
Giving them money and wine
Why was Boudica so determined to win?
Her husband had been killed
The Romans stole her family’s land
She wanted to rule over London
4
Who were the Picts?
An order of monks who opposed the Romans.
Rebellious Romans who disagreed with the
emperor
A group of Scottish tribes who resisted Roman
rule
Roman Britain – Information Book (Reading Level C)
What was Hadrian’s wall?
A place for Romans to admire the views
A defensive wall to keep the Scottish to the
north
A wall to stop southern tribes escaping to
Scotland
5
What or who was ‘Mars’ in Roman times?
A planet
King of the gods
God of war
Which religion started to become popular
later in the Roman rule?
Believing in lots of gods
Christianity
Judaism
6
Where did life change the most, influenced
by the Romans?
Scotland
The south
The north
Why was water so important in Roman
towns?
For cleanliness
For making wine
For decorative water fountains