Roman Britain

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 530.

Roman Britain

Britain at the time of the Roman invasion. The first towns on the sites of the camps: Winchester, Dorchester, Chester, York, Colchester. Roman influence on the British culture. Material monuments of the Romans in Britain: Hadrian's Wall, roads, baths. The town of Bath. The traces of the Roman culture in Britain.

Questions

1. When did the Romans first come to Britain?

2. Describe the first Roman settlement – Winchester.

3. What are Dorchester and Chester famous for?

4. Where and why was Hadrian's Wall erected?

5. Give the description of York.

6. Why did the Romans built a spa in Bath?

7. When and why were the Roman legions recalled from Britain?

8. What are the well-recognized contributions of Roman civilisation to British culture?

The Romans occupied Britain from around 55 BC to AD 410 and there are many signs of the occupation still visible today at archaeological sites and Roman roads and walls. Julius Caesar came to Britain in 55 BC and 54 BC. In 43 AD the Emperor Claudius ordered an invasion and southern Britain became Britannia, a province of the Roman Empire.

The Romans founded over 20 large towns called coloniae. The first capital was Colchester. Many roads were built to transport soldiers to border areas and for travel between the towns, the most famous are Watling Street, which ran from Dover to London and then on to St Albans and Chester, Ermine Street between London and York and the Fosse Way which ran from Exeter to Lincoln.

By AD 410, when Roman officials left Britain, the country had already been attacked by the Picts and invaded by Germanic tribes from northern Europe. Then part of the army was moved to deal with the trouble elsewhere and the British rebelled against Roman rule and Roman influence declined. Germanic settlers began arriving in Britain in AD 430 and took over much of the south and east of the country.