An Introduction to Roman Britain | English Heritage

The Roman Empire was ruled from Britain for a brief period in AD 208–11, when the emperor Septimius Severus came to campaign north of Hadrian's Wall. Severus ... 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Joinhere Romans:AnIntroductiontoRomanBritain Home Learn StoryofEngland Romans:AnIntroductiontoRomanBritain MorePages Roads PowerandPolitics War DailyLife Commerce Art FoodandHealth Religion AnIntroductiontoRomanBritain(AD43–C.410) TotheRomanworld,BritainwasanunknownandmysteriouslandacrosstheseawhenJuliusCaesarinvadedin55–54BC.DespiteinflictingdefeatsontheBritish,CaesarsoonmadepeacewithhisopponentsandreturnedtoGaul. ForalmostacenturyafterwardsthekingdomsofBritainwerekeptquietwithgiftsanddiplomacy.Butwhenanti-Romanrulerscametopower,theemperorClaudius–inneedofaboosttohisdomesticprestige–launchedafull-scaleinvasioninAD43,intentonregimechangeandmilitaryglory. Thisrarecoinbelongstoaseriesdedicatedtothearmiesofthefrontierprovinces.BeneaththedepictionoftheemperorHadrian(r.AD117–38)andsoldiersaretheLatinwordsEXERC[ITUS]BRITANNICUS:‘armyofBritain’. ©BykindpermissionofGeoffreyCope(PetitionCrownCollection) InvasionandConquest ThistimetheRomansenjoyedrapidmilitarysuccess.ButgradualadvancethroughsouthernEnglandandWaleswashaltedinAD60bytherebellionofBoudicca,queenoftheIceniofEastAnglia,incensedbythebrutalityoftheconquest.Therevoltwassuppressed,butnotbeforethreerecentlyfoundedRomancities,Camulodunum(Colchester),Verulamium(StAlbans)andLondinium(London),hadbeenburnedtotheground. TheadvanceresumedinAD70withtheconquestofWalesandthenorth.ThegovernorAgricola(AD77–83)evensucceededindefeatingtheScottishtribesattheBattleofMonsGraupiusinAD83. Immediatelyafterthisvictory,though,troopswerepulledoutofBritaintodealwithinvasionsontheDanubefrontier.Asaresult,thefarnorthcouldnotbeheld,andthearmygraduallyfellbacktotheTyne–Solwayisthmus.ItwasherethattheemperorHadrian,visitingBritaininAD122,orderedthebuildingofhisfamouswall. TheemperorAntoninusPiustriedtoreoccupyScotlandandbuilttheshort-livedAntonineWall(AD140–60).Hewasultimatelyunsuccessful,however,andHadrian’sWallbecamethenorthernfrontieroftheprovinceoncemore. Thiscornelianintaglio(engraveddesign)depictingwingedVictorysigningashieldisoneofthefinesteverfoundinBritain.Originallypartofasignetring,itwasfoundatLullingstoneVillainKent.ItmayhavebeenthepersonalsealofPertinax,governorofBritaininAD185–6andlater,briefly,Romanemperor RomanOrder Bynowthethreelegions(armyunitsofupto6,000men)remaininginBritainhadsettledinpermanentbases.Auxiliarytroopswerescatteredinsmallerforts,mostlyacrossnorthernEnglandandalongHadrian’sWall. Inthepacifiedpartsoftheprovince,citieshadbeenfoundedascapitalsforeachofthetribalareas(thecivitates)intowhichtheBritonshadbeenorganised.Anetworkofroadshaddeveloped,andlandownersinthesouthbegantobuildRoman-stylevillas. LifeformostordinaryBritons,whowerefarmersinthecountryside,wasslowtochange.Bydegrees,however,theycameintocontactwithvillas,townsandmarkets.HeretheycouldexchangetheirproduceforRoman-stylegoodsandseepeopledressingandbehavinginRomanways. OneofBritain’smostremoteanddramaticallysitedRomanforts,HardknottinCumbriawasestablishedinthereignofHadrian(AD117–38).Afteritwasabandonedintheearly3rdcentury,thefortwasusedasashelterbytravellersandpassingpatrols DIVISIONOFBRITAIN ShortlyafterAD180therewasaninvasionbytribesfromwhatisnowScotland,whooverranHadrian’sWall.AroundthistimemostofthecitiesofBritainwereenclosedwithinearthendefensivewalls,whichmayhavebeenlinkedtotheinvasion. TheRomanEmpirewasruledfromBritainforabriefperiodinAD208–11,whentheemperorSeptimiusSeveruscametocampaignnorthofHadrian’sWall.SeverusdividedBritainintotwoprovinces,BritanniaSuperior(south)andInferior(north),withcapitalsatLondonandYorkrespectively.Thispreventedtoomanytroopsfrombeingconcentratedinthehandsofasinglegovernorwhomighthaveattemptedtousurppower. SAXONSHOREFORTS Alongsidethecities,whichacquiredstonewallsatthistime,the3rdcenturysawincreasednumbersofsmallmarkettowns,villagesandvillas.Romanobjectswerenowmorecommonineventhepoorestruralsettlements. Therewerestillthreatstotheprovince.Inthenorth,beyondHadrian’sWall,thePictshademergedasaformidableenemy,whiletothesouththerewasagrowingthreatfromseaborneraiders.Theso-calledSaxonShorefortsaroundthesouth-eastcoastwerebuilttowardstheendofthe3rdcenturyinresponse,suchasatCaisterRomanFort andReculver. Britainwaspartoftheseparatist‘Gallicempire’fromAD260untilAD273,andagainbrokeawayfromRomeundertheusurpersCarausiusandAllectus(AD286–96).EmperorConstantiusIrecapturedtheprovinceinAD296,andwhenhediedinAD306afteracampaignagainstthePicts,hissonConstantinetheGreatwasproclaimedemperorinYork. TheendofRomanrule AfterConstantine’sconversioninAD312,Christianitywasadoptedmorewidelyacrosstheempire,includinginBritain.Inthe4thcenturyBritainwasreorganisedasa‘diocese’consistingoffourprovinces,withmilitaryforcesunderthecommandoftheDuxBritanniarum–theDukeoftheBritains.Thenext50yearsorsowereagoldenageofagriculturalprosperityandvillabuilding,especiallyinthesouth-west. Butthelater4thcenturysawchronicinsecurityandthegreatinvasionknownasthebarbarianconspiracyofAD367.Confidentnewbuildinghadceasedbythe370s.RepeatedattemptstousurptheempirebygeneralsbasedinBritain(thelastbeingConstantineIIIinAD407)drainedthedioceseoftroops.ByAD410BritainhadslippedoutofRomancontrol,itsinhabitantslefttofendforthemselves. RomanStories TheRomaninvasionofBritain InAD43EmperorClaudiuslaunchedhisinvasionofBritain.WhydidtheRomansinvade,wheredidtheyland,andhowdidtheircampaignprogress? EmperorHadrian DiscoverthemanbehindtheWall.AsemperoroftheRomanEmpire,Hadrianfocusedonsecuringtheempire’sexistingborders,andHadrian’sWallwasthemostimpressivestatementofthispolicy.  TheCorbridgeLionandChangingBeliefsinRomanBritain LionswerecommonlyusedassacredsymbolsinRomanmemorials,buttheCorbridgelionisdifferent.FindoutwhatthisextraordinarysculpturetellsusaboutchangingbeliefsinRomanBritain. UncoveringtheSecretsofHadrian'sWall TheremainsofBirdoswaldRomanForthaverevealedmoreaboutHadrian’sWallthananyothersitealongtheWall. MithrasandEasternReligiononHadrian’sWall AremarkablesculptureofMithrasfoundonHadrian’sWallrevealsreligiousandmilitaryconnectionswithdistantpartsoftheRomanEmpire. TheMysteriousAbsenceofStablesatRomanCavalryForts HowrecentarchaeologicalexcavationsonHadrian’sWallhaverevealedwhyithasalwaysbeensodifficulttodiscoverwhereRomansoldierskepttheirhorses. TheMysteriesofCorbridge Fromstrangeheadsonpotstomissingtemples,therearemanythingsaboutCorbridgeRomanTownthatcontinuetopuzzleus.  CountryEstatesinRomanBritain Anintroductiontothedesign,developmentandpurposeofRomancountryvillas,andthelifestylesoftheirowners. MoreaboutRomanBritain Romans:Art Rome’ssuccesswasbuiltontheorganisedandpracticalapplicationofideaslongknowntotheancientworld. Romans:DailyLife ThedailyexperiencesofmostpeopleinBritainwereinevitablytouchedbyitsincorporationintotheRomanEmpire.  Romans:Commerce MostpeopleinRomanBritainmadetheirlivingsfromamixtureofsubsistencefarmingandexchangeofspecialistgoods. Romans:FoodandHealth HowtheRomanconquestchangedhowpeopleinBritainate,andhowtheylookedaftertheirhealth.  Romans:Roads Discoverhow,whereandwhyavastnetworkofroadswasbuiltoverthelengthandbreadthofRomanBritain. Romans:Religion TheRomansweretolerantofotherreligions,andsoughttoequatetheirowngodswiththoseofthelocalpopulation. Romans:Landscape WhatkindoflandscapedidtheRomansfindwhentheyconqueredBritain,andwhatchangesdidtheymake? Romans:PowerandPolitics Britainwasoneofsome44provinceswhichmadeuptheRomanEmpireatitsheightintheearly2ndcenturyAD.  ReadMore PreviousEra:Prehistory Prehistoryisthetimebeforewrittenrecords.It'stheperiodofhumanhistoryweknowtheleastabout,butit'salsothelongestbyfar. NextEra:EarlyMedieval ThesixandahalfcenturiesbetweentheendofRomanruleandtheNormanConquestareamongthemostimportantinEnglishhistory.Thislongperiodisalsooneofthemostchallengingtounderstand–whichiswhyithastraditionallybeenlabelledthe‘DarkAges’.  https://www.facebook.com/englishheritage https://twitter.com/englishheritage https://instagram.com/englishheritage https://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishHeritageFilm