Britannia
Roman Britain,
43 CE – 410 CE
Précis
• Basic geography: ancient conceptions, modern
reality
• Pre-Roman culture, technology, and society
• Roman conquest: timeline and major figures
• The Roman-Celtic synthesis
• Imperial government and economics
• Voices of dissent: armed upheaval and the Roman
response
• Decline and fall of the empire in Britain
Pre-Roman Britain
The Beakers: Indo-European agriculture
in the Bronze Age
The Celts: Political organization and
technology in an era of conflict
Early Contact: Roman Exploration
under Caesar, 55-54 BCE
• Appian, Gallic History:“Cæsar
was also the first of the
Romans to cross the Rhine. He
also passed over to Britain, an
island larger than a very large
continent, and still unknown to
the men of Rome. He crossed
by taking advantage of the
movement of the tide. As it
rose the fleet was impelled by
the waves, slowly at first, then
more rapidly, until finally Cæsar
was carried with great
swiftness to Britain.”
Strabo, Geographica
“The Deified Caesar
crossed over to the
island twice, although
he came back in haste,
without accomplishing
anything great or
proceeding far into the
island…”
Augustan Incursions, 34-25 BCE
III came, I saw,
I… reinforced
existing patronclient relations?
Caligula, 40 CE
Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars
• “Finally, as if he intended to
bring the war to an end, he
drew up a line of battle on the
shore of the Ocean, arranging
his ballistas and other artillery;
and when no one knew or
could imagine what he was
going to do, he suddenly bade
them gather shells and fill their
helmets and the folds of their
gowns, calling them "spoils
from the Ocean, due to the
Capitol and Palatine."
Claudius’ Invasion, 43 CE
• Cassius Dio, Roman History,
Book 60: “Thus it came
about that Plautius
undertook this campaign;
but he had difficulty in
inducing his army to
advance beyond Gaul. For
the soldiers were indignant
at the thought of carrying
on a campaign outside the
limits of the known world…”
Second Augustan Legion
Legio XIV Gemina
Twentieth Victorious Valerian Legion
Ninth Spanish Legion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkS03b73
Vlo&feature=related
“The Roman Senate and
People to Tiberius Claudius
Caesar Augustus Germanicus,
son of Drusus, Pontifex
Maximus, Tribunician power
eleven times, Consul five
times, Imperator 22 times,
Censor, Father of the
Fatherland, because he
received the surrender of
eleven kings of the Britons
defeated without any loss,
and first brought barbarian
peoples across the Ocean into
the dominion of the Roman
people.” 51 CE
An Overview of Britannia
• Roman culture and political institutions centralized in towns and
population centers, and among the upper classes
• Constant expansion and conflict in the north
Economy
– Extensive mining (gold), one of the most attractive aspects of Britannia
to the Empire.
• Religious syncretism: the official pantheon, Celtic gods, and (a little)
Christianity
– Good example of inclusiveness of Roman religion
– Example: The temple complex at Bath, dedicated to Celtic water
goddess Sul, was linked to the Roman goddess Minerva (creating
hybrid goddess “Sulis-Minerva”)
• However, druids (Celtic priesthood) were outlawed by Claudius
Aquae Sulis (now Bath, UK)
• Bath complex and hot
springs
• Celts dedicated to
goddess Sulis
• Romans identified with
Minerva
• Superb example of
fusion and syncretism
Political Organization under the
Romans
• Imperial Province, ruled by governor of consular
rank
• Finances handled by a provincial procurator of
equestrian rank
• Legal matters handled by the legatus juridicus
• Administrative Reform, 197 CE:
– Britannia Superior, Capital at Londinium (Modern-Day
City of London)
– Britannia Inferior, Capital at York
• 296 CE: Subdivision into four by Diocletian
Uprisings In Britannia –
Boudicca’s Revolt
• Southeast Britain 60-61 CE
• Who was Boudicca?
– Queen of Iceni Tribe & Widow of Prastugas
– “(She was) very tall. Her eyes seemed to stab you. Her voice was harsh and
loud. Her thick, reddish-brown hair flung down below her waist. She
always wore a great golden torch around her neck and a flowing tartan
cloak fastened with a brooch.” – Roman writer Cassius Dio
• Why did she revolt?
– Rome ignored the will of Prastugas to split his kingdom between his heirs
and Rome (instead, Roman officials flogged Boudicca and raped her
daughters)
– VIDEO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LhT7rC
6O8
Boudicca’s Revolt
• Iceni tribes and several neighboring tribes rose up
against Rome
• Led 100,000 Brits into victory at Camulodunum, Roman
center in Britain, and then won a key victory at
modern-day London
• However, her army was struck by famine (Roman
leader Suetonius burned down Roman stores) and
exhaustion
• Site of final defeat unknown, but it is reported that
1200 Roman troops defeated Boudicca’s 100,000!
• Boudicca poisoned herself to avoid capture!
Hadrian’s Wall (c. 130 AD)
• Frontier against northern Barbarians
– Stretches 75 miles from coast to coast across
modern-day northern England – “northern
frontier of Roman civilization” & symbol of Roman
rule
– Took just 8 years to build
– Romans could not sustain advances into
Caledonia
– Later emperors tried to push north of
the wall but failed (Antonine Wall)
Britannia:
The Empire’s Finest Tourist Destination!
What We’d Leave Out
Angry warrior queens
who want to kill you
• Strabo on cannibalism and
incest: “Concerning this island
I have nothing certain to tell,
except that its inhabitants are
more savage than the Britons,
since they are man-eaters as
well as heavy eaters, and since,
further, they count it an
honorable thing, when their
fathers die, to devour them, and
openly to have intercourse, not
only with the other women, but
also with their mothers and
sisters…”
410 AD: End of Roman Rule in Britain
• “The decline of Roman Britain is like the
withering of a limb at the extremity of an
ailing body.” (historyworld.net)
• Causes
– The Roman Empire was struggling
(internal strife and threats from Germanic tribes)
– The military presence at Hadrian’s Wall was lessened to help
boost defense against the Visigoths and other more local
threats.
– The Last Straw: In AD 410, Britains called for help from emperor
Honorius to defend against the Saxons, but he told them “to
look to their own defences” (Rescript of Honorius)
Britannia After the Collapse of the
Roman Empire
• Expulsion of remaining Roman officials
• Migrations to Spain
• Rise of minor kingdoms,
warlords and principalities
• In Western Britain, ascendance of medieval
myth and legend
• King Arthur – Romano-British King?
Works Cited
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“Pre-Roman and Roman Britain.” University of Duisberg-Essen. <http://www.uni-due.de/SHE/HE_RomanBritain.htm>.
“Pre-Roman Britain.” The Encyclopedia Britannica, Online Edition. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/615557/United-Kingdom/44731/Pre-Roman-Britain>.
Strabo, Geographica, Book IV, Chapter 5. <http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/4E*.html>.
Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, The Life of Caligula. <http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Caligula*.html#44>.
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Appian, Gallic History. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0230:text=Gall.:chapter=1&highlight=britain>.
“Boudica”, Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipieda.org/wiki/Boudica >.
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“Britannia,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia>.
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“Claudius,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius>.
“Roman Conquest of Britain,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_conquest_of_Britain>
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“Boudicca,” BBC History. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/boudicca.shtml
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“Boudica Biography,” Biography Online. http://www.biographyonline.net/royalty/boudica.html
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“History of Roman Britain,” Historyworld. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac71
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“Hadrian’s Wall Gallery,” BBC History. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery.shtml>.
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Image Credits:
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Map of Roman Britain (http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/27/4827-004-9C37265D.gif )
Boudicca (http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/25/95/259570_d34a2d50.jpg )
Boudicca graphic (http://exequy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/celtic-warrior-queen_goddess-boudicca-t-shirt.jpg)
Iceni Region (http://www.ancient.eu.com/image/304/ )
Hadrian’s Wall (http://www.roman-empire.net/tours/empire/hadrians-wall.html)
Hadrian (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Bust_Hadrian_Musei_Capitolini_MC817.jpg)
Hadrian’s Wall Location (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Hadrians_Wall_map.png)
Honorius (http://knowmalta.webs.com/honorius.jpg )
End of Roman rule in Britain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:End.of.Roman.rule.in.Britain.383.410.jpg )
King Arthuer (Monty Python) (http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/trutv.com/graphics/conspiracy/gallery/celebs/royal-wedding/11-king-arthur-monty-python.jpg
Britannia (opening slide): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Britannia-Statue.jpg
Hadrian’s Wall: http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/hadrian-wall/article_hadrianswall-forts.htm
Stonehenge: http://www.uni-due.de/SHE/HE_RomanBritain.htm
Caesar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CaesarTusculum.jpg
Strabo and Strabo’s Map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strabo.jpg
Augustus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Statue-Augustus.jpg
Caligula: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gaius_Caesar_Caligula.jpg
Suetonius: http://www.nndb.com/people/874/000087613/
Claudius: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Claudius_%28M.A.N._Madrid%29_01.jpg
Legion II: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caerleon_plaque2.JPG
Legion Flags: http://www.romanempirestore.com/resources.html
Claudius subduing Britannia: http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/gaddis/hst210/nov18/default.htm
Arch of Claudius: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Capitoline_museum2.jpg