The Romanization of Britain: economy, religion and empire

The Romanization of Britain:economy, religion and empire

Roman Britain:Key Dates/Events

55 BCE Caesar invades43 CE Claudius invades,

annexes SE, Londinium founded

59-61 Boudicca revolts, kills 80k

71-83 Rome expands into Midlands, Scotland

87 Expansion ends (Agricola), Stanegate frontier

developed122 Hadrian’s visit,

wall construction begins125 Forts constructed on wall143 Antonine wall built163 Antonine wall

abandoned, retreat to Hadrian’s wall

211 Septimius Severus dies in Eboracum (York)

410 Rome abandons Britain500 Londinium uninhabited

Key questions for the Roman empire: on the basis of your study of Londinium, and your readings in Shotter and the

literary sources …

• what impact did the Romanization of Britain have on the local economy and religious practices?

• what does empire look like in a province 900 miles (~ 2 weeks) from the center?

• what is daily life like for Romans and Britons in the Roman imperium?

Hadrian’s WallHousesteads

Hadrian’s Wall:dry moat (vallum)

Housesteads Fort (Vercovicium or Borcovicium), along Hadrian’s

Wall

Hadrian’s wall with mile castleHousesteads Fort

Hadrian’s WallChesters Fort

Model, Chesters Fort

Chesters Fort, Gateway

Commander’s Headquarters

Barracks

Bath atChesters Fort

Bathing Complex: Changing Room (apodyterium), Chesters Fort

Bathing Complex: hot bath (caldarium), Chesters Fort

Bathing Complex: drainage system, Chesters Fort

Hadrian’s WallVindolanda

Vindolanda

• Military community largely self-contained regarding food production & storage, manufacturing & repair

• Wide range of specialization – e.g., bathhouse, hospital, temple

• Close contact with locals as troops patrol & communicate

Vindolanda tablets: vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk

• 700+ tablets detailing daily lives of Roman soldiers and their families

• > 200 individuals named – writers & recipients, with ranks, places of origin and kinship connections

FishbourneBegun ca.

65/75, alterations until 3rd c.

Fishbourne, So. England

Monumental entrance, courtyards, , state rooms, reception area, gallery, private apartments, 50 mosaic floors, central heating, bathhouse, formal gardens

Provincial governor’s palace, 500 ft.2, > Buckingham Palace

Bath or Aquae Sulis

Bath Aquae Sulis

Bath / Aquae Sulis

Material Remains (British Museum)

London Mithraeum(from Walbrook)

Londinium

Key questions for the Roman empire: on the basis of your study of Londinium, and your readings in Shotter and the

literary sources …

• what impact did the Romanization of Britain have on the local economy and religious practices?

• what does empire look like in a province 900 miles (~ 2 weeks) from the center?

• what is daily life like for Romans and Britons in the Roman imperium?