ROMANS IN BRITAIN The Romans were the first to invade and came to Britain nearly 2000 years ago.

They changed that country. The Roman Empire made its mark on Britain, and even today, the ruins of Roman buildings, forts, roads, and baths can be found all over Britain. What was Britain like before the Romans? Before the Romans invaded, Celts lived in Britain. There were lots of different tribes ruled by kings or chiefs. Chiefs often fought one another. A chief would lead his warriors into battle in chariots pulled by horses. For defence against enemies, they built forts on hilltops. These hillforts had earth banks and wooden walls. In Celtic Britain there were no towns. Most people were farmers living in villages. They made round houses from wood and mud, with Thatched roofs. There were no roads. People travelled by boats on rivers, or along muddy paths. Some British Celts crossed the sea to trade with other Celts in the Roman Empire. Who were the Romans? The Romans lived in Rome, a city in the centre of the country of Italy .One day, some years before Jesus Christ was born, the Romans came to Britain. Why did the Romans invade Britain? Why the Romans came to Britain is not quite certain. Two reasons have been suggested: The Romans were cross with Britain for helping the Gauls (now called the French) fight against the Roman general Julius Caesar. They came to Britain looking for riches - land, slaves, and most of all, iron, lead, zinc, copper, silver and gold. Julius Caesar thought it would make him look good back in Rome (no-one had travelled there before, it was like going to the moon for the Romans) When did the Romans invade Britain? First invasion - Caesar's first raid In August 55 B.C. the Roman general, Emperor Julius Caesar invaded Britain. He took with him two Roman legions. After winning several battles against the Celtic tribes (Britons) in south-east England he returned to France. Second invasion - Caesar's second raid The following summer (in 54 B.C.) Caesar came to Britain again landing at Walmer near Deal in Kent. This time he brought with him no fewer than five legions (30,000 foot soldiers) and 2,000 cavalrymen (horse riders). This time the Romans crossed the River Thames. After more fighting, the British tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome and were then left in peace for nearly a century. Third and final invasion Nearly one hundred years later, in 43 A.D. , Emperor Claudius organised the final and successful Roman invasion of Britain. General Aulus Plautius led four legions with 25,000 men, plus an equal number of auxiliary soldiers. They crossed the Channel in three divisions, landing at Richborough, Dover, and Lympne.

47 - 50AD London (Londinium) was founded and a bridge built across the river Thames. A network of roads was built across the south of Britain. This time Emperor Claudius even brought elephants over to Britain to scare the tribes. This time the Romans conquered the southern half of Britain and made it part of the Roman Empire. How did the British fight back? Some Celts made friends with the Romans, in return for keeping their kingdoms. Their leaders were called 'client kings'. They agreed to obey Roman laws, and pay Roman taxes. Other British leaders fought the Romans. At Maiden Castle (a hill-fort near Dorchester in Dorset) archaeologists found evidence of a battle which the Romans had won. Buried on the site were the skeletons of young men, some of which had cut marks of Roman swords on the bones. The best British leader was Caratacus, but he was beaten in A.D. 51. The Romans took him as a prisoner to Rome, but treated him well. Why did the British rebel? By AD 61, the Romans were in control of southern Britain. Th rebellion began while the Roman governor Paulinus (the soldier in charge of Roman Britain) was away in North Wales. The trouble started in East Anglia. The Iceni tribe lived there and Prasutagus, the king, was a friend of the Romans. When he died, he left half his kingdom to the Roman emperor, and half to his wife, Queen Boudicca. The Romans wanted it all. They also wanted extra taxes and they wanted Boudicca to give up her throne. After Boudicca's rebellion, people in southern Britain settled down to live under Roman rule Why did Hadrian build his wall? After the Romans invaded southern Britain, they had to defend it. Scotland was not part of Roman Britain, although in A.D. 84.Romans won a big battle against the picts who lived in Scotland. In A.D 122 the emperor Hadrian ordered his soldiers to build a wall between Roman Britain and Scotland to keep the rebellious Scottish tribes out. It was called Hadrians wall. In A.D. 140, the Romans added another wall further north. It's called the Antonine Wall. Why did the Romans build roads in Britain? Roman soldiers needed to march from one part of the country to another quickly. So the Romans built roads. Roman roads were made from stones, and were better than muddy tracks for travel on foot or in carts. How did the Romans lived in Britain?

Food: Poor people ate very simple food. They survived on bread, porridge and a sort of vegetable soup with lentils, turnips, onions and beans. They rarely ate meat. Rich Romans could afford to buy lots of different food, from all over the Empire. Kitchens: Most houses had kitchen. It would have a charcoal fire and food was boiled or fried in bronze or earthenware containers.. Some large houses might have special ovens built into the walls.

Dinner Parties: Rich Romans served expensive and unusual food in order to show off. The more unusual the food, the more the guests were impressed. Farming: The Roman farms grew wheat, grapes and olives. They also grew local crops which might be sold all over the Roman Empire. Roman farmers took great care to keep on the right side of the Gods. Roman Clothing: Roman men wore a short linen tunic. Roman women wore a long tunic which reached almost to the ground. Hairstyles: Hairstyles changed constantly, one year it would be fashionable to have the hair piled high on your head, the next year the fashion would be ringlets. Jewellery: Wealthy women wore beautiful jewellery made from gold and silver with precious gems set in it.

How long did the Romans stay in Britain? The Romans remained in Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. That is almost four hundred years (four centuries). Why did the Romans leave Britain? Their homes in Italy were being attacked by fierce tribes and every soldier was needed. Why was the Roman Empire important? The Romans, even today, play an important part in our lives. The Romans gave us:

Language The language we used today was developed from the Romans. The Romans spoke and wrote in Latin and many of our words are based on Latin words. The Calendar It is based on the movement of the earth around the sun, and so is called the 'solar calendar.' The solar calendar has 365 days a year, and 366 days every leap year, or every fourth year. Laws and a legal system The laws and ways we determine what to do with someone who is accused of breaking a law came originally from the Roman Empire. The Census The Roman Empire began the practice of taking a census, or a 'count,' of all the people within its boundaries every so often. Straight Roads The Romans built many roads, towns, bath houses and buildings. Trade and industry flourished under Roman rule. Religion: At first, Romans believed in many different gods and goddesses: Saturn, Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Minerva, Mars, and Venus. In 312AD The Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made Christianity legal throughout the Roman Empire.