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Roman Britain
Roman Britain is called parts
of the island of Great Britain
controlled by the Roman Empire
between AD 43 and 410. The Romans
referred to their province as Britannia.
Before the Roman invasion, Iron Age
Britain already had cultural
and economic links with Continental
Europe, but the invaders introduced
new methods in agriculture,
urbanization, industry and
architecture, leaving
a legacy that is still apparent today.
The Roman Invasion
-The first direct Roman contact came when the Roman general and future dictator, Julius
Caesar, made two expeditions to Britain in 55 and 54 BC.
- The expedition was a military failure, but was at least a political success: the Roman
Senate declared a 20-day public holiday in Rome in honour of this unprecedented issue.
- The invasion force in 43 AD was led by Aulus Plautius. It was a 40.000 soldiers
(=4 legions)
- The Romans defeated the Catuvellauni and their allies in two battles: the first a
Richborough landing, in a battle on the river Medway, the second on the Thames. Plautius
stopped at the Thames and sent for Claudius, who arrived with reinforcements, including
artillery and elephants, for the final march to the Catuvellaunian capital - Camulodunum
(Colchester). Vespasian took control of the southwest, Cogidubnus was set up as a friendly
king of several territories, and treaties were made with tribes outside the area under direct
Roman control.
- In the following years, the Romans conquered more of the island, increasing the size of
Roman Britain. Governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola, father-in-law to the historian Tacitus,
conquered the Ordovices in 78 AD. With the XXth Valeria Victrix legion, Agricola defeated
the Caledonians in 84 AD at the Battle of Mons Graupius, in what is today northern
Scotland. This marked the high tide mark of Roman territory in Britain; shortly after his
victory, Agricola was recalled from Britain back to Rome.
- For much of the history of Roman Britain, a large number of soldiers were garrisoned on
the island. This required that the emperor station a trusted senior man as governor of the
province. As a side-effect of this, many future emperors served as governors or legates in
this province, including Vespasian, Pertinax, and Gordian I.
Occupation of the southern
Scotland
- A new crisis was at the beginning
of Hadrian's reign (about 117 AD), a rising
in the north. This crisis was suppressed by
Quintus Pompeius Falco.
- When Hadrian reached Britannia on his
famous tour of the Roman provinces
around 120 AD, he directed an extensive
defensive wall, known as Hadrian's Wall,
to be built close to the line of the Stanegate
frontier. Hadrian appointed Aulus
Platorius Nepos as governor to undertake
this work who brought the VIth Victrix
legion with him from Lower Germany.
This replaced the famous IXth Hispana
legion, whose disappearance has been
much discussed.
Hadrian's Wall viewed from Vercovicium
- The first Antonine occupation of Scotland ended after crisis in 155-157 AD, when the
Brigantes revolted.
- Within a year the Antonine Wall was reoccupied, but by 163 or 164 AD it was left.
- The Romans didn´t leave the Scotland at this time, however; the large fort at Newstead
was maintained along with seven smaller outposts until at least 180 AD.
End of Roman rule
- The leaving of some sites is now believed to be later than had formerly been thought.
Many buildings changed use but were not destroyed. There were growing barbarian
attacks, but these were focused on rural settlements rather than towns.
- Urban life had generally grown less intense by the fourth quarter of the fourth century,
and coins minted between 378 and 388 are very rare, indicating a likely combination of
economic decline, diminishing numbers of troops, and problems with the payment of
soldiers and officials.
- By 407 there were no new Roman coins going into circulation, and by 430 it is likely that
coinage as a medium of exchange had been abandoned. Pottery mass production probably
ended a decade or two previously; the rich continued to use metal and glass vessels, while
the poor probably adopted leather or wooden ones.
Religion
Pagan
-The Druids, who were a sort of super-class of priests, political advisors, teachers, healers,
and arbitrators among the Celtic tribes, were outlawed by Claudius, and in 61 they vainly
defended their sacred groves from destruction by the Romans on the island of Mona
(Anglesey). However, under Roman rule the Britons can continued to worship native Celtic
gods, such as Ancasta, but then they was associated with their Roman equivalents.
Christianity
- It is not clear when or how Christianity came to Britain.
A second century „word square“ has been discovered in
Mamucium, the Roman settlement of Manchester.
It is an anagram of PATER NOSTER
carved on a piece of amphora. There has been
discussion by academics whether the „word square“
is actually a Christian artefact, but if it is, it is one
of the earliest examples of early Christianity in Britain.
- The earliest confirmed written evidence for Christianity
in Britain is a statement by Tertullian.
Legacy of Romans
- During their occupation of Britain the Romans built an extensive network of roads which
continued to be used in later centuries and many are still followed today.
- The Romans also built water supply, sanitation and sewage systems.
- Many of Britain's cities, such as London (Londinium), Manchester (Mamucium) and
York (Eburacum), were founded by the Romans.
- Significant Germanic migration to Britain seems to have taken place only after the
coming of the Romans. The Germanic speakers came originally as Roman auxiliary troops
to support the Romans in their conquest of the Celts.