BritanniaRoman 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 BritainThe 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 patron-client 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=TkS03b73Vlo&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 northEconomy

– 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=1LhT7rCC6O8

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•

“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>.•

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 >.

• “Britannia,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia>.•

“Claudius,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius>.•

“Roman Conquest of Britain,” Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_conquest_of_Britain>

• “Boudicca,” BBC History. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/boudicca.shtml

• “Boudica Biography,” Biography Online. http://www.biographyonline.net/royalty/boudica.html

• “History of Roman Britain,” Historyworld. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac71

• “Hadrian’s Wall Gallery,” BBC History. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery.shtml>.

• Image Credits:• 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