The Romans in Britain

A-The Romans in Britain (43 AD to 410 AD)

-Who lived in Britain before the Roman’s arrival ?

the Celts

From around 750 BC to 12 BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. There were many groups (tribes) of Celts, speaking a vaguely common language. The word Celt comes from the Greek word, Keltoi, which means barbarians and is properly pronounced as "Kelt".

-Who were the Romans?

The Romans were the people from a city called Rome in what is now Italy. Rome was the greatest city of its time. At one time it had nearly one million people living there. The Romans were very clever and very good at organising things.

-Why did the Romans invade Britain ?

*In 55 B.C. the Roman general Julius Caesar conquered France (At the time the country was called Gaul, and the Romans called it Gallia). The Gauls fought hard against the Romans and had been helped by their friends in Britain. Caesar was upset by their assistance and decided to teach the Britons a lesson.
*He came to Britain looking for riches - land, slaves, and most of all, iron, lead, zinc, copper, silver and gold.
*He thought it would make him look good back in Rome (no-one had travelled here before, it was like going to the moon for the Romans!).

-Why Did the Romans leave Britain ?

By the 5th century A.D. barbarian tribes were attacking the Roman Empire. Emperor Honorius was worried by these attacks, so he decided that the Roman Legions in Britain were needed to defend France and Italy. He sent a letter to the people of Britain telling them why all the soldiers had to leave. He also gave ordinary people permission to learn how to fight the Saxons, who were invading Britain. And so the Romans left.

-What did the Romans leave behind ?

They left behind a huge legacy. Many types of animals and plants were brought to Britain in Roman times. e.g. sweet chestnut trees and chickens.
The Romans also introduced Christianity to Britain. Many churches are still built using designs like a Roman Basilica.

Reading and writing were also introduced by the Romans. Before the Romans arrived nobody in Britain knew how to read or write. Stories and knowledge could only be passed on by word of mouth. From Roman times onwards people in Britain would always write things down.

The Romans also helped the English language. Many words in English and Welsh have been borrowed from the Latin language. Some examples are:-
autumn, beautiful, continue, different....

The Calendar

was started by Julius Caesar. 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. The names of the months are taken from the names of Roman gods and rulers. The month 'July,' in fact, is named after Julius Caesar himself!

They also left behind them:
•straight roads
•central heating
•concrete
•aqueducts (bridges for water)
•Bath houses