Transcript Romans in Britain

Romans in Britain
Three questions
• WHEN?
• WHY?
• WHAT?
WHEN?
• In 55 and 54 BC Julius Caesar made two
expeditions to Britain as an offshoot of his
conquest of Gaul. They were not succesful.
• In 34, 27 and 25 BC Augustus planned
invasions, but circumstances were never
favourable
• In 43 AD Claudius successfully invaded Britain
• Roman rule ended in the beginning of the 5th
century.
WHY?
• Julius Caesar, made two expeditions to Britain,
believing the Britons had been helping the Gallic
resistance.
• Caesar had conquered no territory but had
established clients on the island and brought
Britain into Rome's sphere of political influence.
• When Claudius successfully invaded in 43, it
was in aid of another fugitive British ruler, this
time Verica of the Atrebates.
WHAT?
• In short: a lot!!
• We focus on:
– Londinium
– Aquae Sulis
– Eboracum
– Roads
– Language?
– And of course: Hadrian’s Wall
Londinium
• The Roman advance was halted by the Thames, and
Plautius was forced to build a bridge to get his men
across.
• This first "London Bridge" has been excavated recently,
and found to be only yards from the modern London
Bridge!
• About the year 200 AD a defensive wall was built around
the city. For well over a millennium the shape and size of
London was defined by this Roman wall. The area within
the wall is now "the City", London's famous financial
district. Traces of the wall can still be seen in a few
places in London.
Londinium
Aquae Sulis
Aquae Sulis
Eboracum
The city itself was founded in AD 71, when the
Ninth Legion conquered the Brigantes and
constructed a military fortress (castra) on flat
ground above the River Ouse near its junction
with the River Foss. The fortess was later rebuilt
in stone, covered an area of 50 acres, and was
inhabited by 6,000 soldiers. Much of the Roman
fortress now lies under the foundations of York
Minster, and excavations in the Minster's
undercroft have revealed some of the original
walls
Roads
Language ?
• A few words are thought for one reason or another to
belong to this period: port (harbor, gate, town) from Latin
portus and porta; munt (mountain) from Latin mons,
montem; torr (tower, rock) possibly from Latin turris; and
again, possibly from Celtic, wic (village) from Latin vicus.
• It is possible that some of the Latin words which the
Teutons had acquired on the continent; such as, street
(Latin strata via), wall, wine, etc, were reinforced by the
presence of the same words in Celtic.
• http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/3277
Hadrian’s wall
Hadrian’s wall
Hadrian’s wall
Hadrian’s wall
• Hadrian's Wall was constructed over a period of six years by order
of the Emperor Hadrian, who came to Britain in AD 122. According
to one of Hadrian's Roman biographers it was built to 'separate the
Romans from the Barbarians' a feat it achieved for over 250 years.
Today, the area between South Shields and Ravenglass is studded
with forts, milecastles, temples and turrets.
• What was the Wall for?
Hadrian’s Wall was not meant to be defended like a castle. Instead it
was a barrier that allowed Roman soldiers to control the movements
of people coming into or leaving Roman Britain. This allowed the
Roman army to make sure that troublemakers could not move easily
either north or south.
• The Wall was also a good place to keep a watch over the frontier.
The turrets and milecastles allowed Roman soldiers to watch what
was happening along the whole length of the frontier
Forts
Last year.
(2008)
Hadrian’s wall
http://www.hadrians-wall.org/product_map.aspx?Category=1&Type=1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery_01.shtml
http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/hadrian/index.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/