Did Britain change much under Roman rule?
The Romans had lots of ideas that they brought with them to Britain. They were much more advanced with engineering, trade and education than the Celts and Britons who lived here.
Lots of southern Britain took on Roman ideas and ways of life, but large parts of northern Britain refused to accept it and continued living their own ways of life.
The Romans were very sensible because they rarely forced people to live like Romans, instead, they often tried to convince local chiefs and kings to be more ‘Roman’ and encourage their followers to do the same.
Important words
Important words on how the Romans changed Britain.
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Civilian | Ordinary people who are not soldiers. |
| Insulae | Either a criss-cross of streets or an apartment block. |
| Latin | The language that the Romans spoke and wrote in. |
| Romanised | To make something more Roman, such as buildings, language or clothing. |
| Villa | A large home usually made from stone and tile that had multiple rooms and sometimes a second floor upstairs. |
Watch: What did the Romans do for us?
When the Romans arrived in AD43, they introduced new ideas and new ways of living to Britain. Watch the video below to learn more about what the Romans have done for us.
From stinging nettles to sewers - find out how the Romans changed Britain
What did the Romans do for us? When the Romans invaded in AD43, they really liked Ancient Britain, but they weren’t too impressed with the Ancient Britons.
The Romans pretty much thought they were better at everything; they built big brick and stone buildings with central heating. They built sewage systems and paved, straight roads that stretched right across the country to connect up all their new Roman towns.
Before long, they’d built so much that Britain didn’t look too different from Rome itself apart from the weather of course. The Romans even brought animals, like rabbits to Britain. And stinging nettles too! The Romans also built temples to worship their many gods – like Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus.
You’ve probably heard of them, because we’ve named our planets after them. Later on, the Romans decided to believe in just one god and introduced Christianity to Britain too.
Before the Romans arrived there was no written language in Britain. They changed all that by teaching important Britons how to read and write and how to speak the Roman language – Latin. And even today, two thousand years later, a lot of our words come from Latin, like ‘enormous’ and ‘victory’ and ‘lavatory’!
The ways we measure distances - miles, feet and inches – that’s all Roman, We’ve got Roman numerals, which you can still see in a lot of places, like clocks. And coins too - the Romans made using coins to buy things popular throughout the whole of Roman Britain, rather than just swapping one thing for another like a sheep for a sword for example.
All in all we owe a lot to the Romans – but don’t tell them that – they’re smug enough as it is.
The end of Roman Britain
By AD410 the city of Rome was under attack and the empire was falling apart. So the Romans had to leave Britain to help back home.
The Roman Emperor Honorius (AD393 to 423) sent a goodbye letter to the people of Britain.
He wrote: “fight bravely and defend your lives…you are on your own now”.
After they left, many of the Roman towns in Britain crumbled away as people went back to living in the countryside.
But even after they were gone, the Romans left their mark all over the country.
They gave us: new towns, plants, animals, a new religion and new ways of reading and counting.
Even the word Britain comes from the Romans.
This wasn't all the Romans gave Britain though…
Roman Roads
The Romans built 10,000 miles of road across Britain.
They were first built so that the Roman army could get travel across Britain quickly and safely.
Many modern roads follow the Roman roads, such as the Fosse Way which went from the Roman towns of Lincoln to Exeter.
Why not see if you can locate other Roman roads on a map?
How did the Romans change towns?
London (called Londinium by the Romans) was Britain’s greatest city and is today the capital of the UK.
When the Romans invaded, they built a fort beside the River Thames.
This was where traders came from all over the empire to bring their goods to Britain.
Londinium grew and grew, until it was the most important city in Roman Britain.
What's in a name?
If a place-name has chester, caster or cester in it, it's almost certainly Roman.
Gloucester, Worcester, Colchester, Doncaster and Manchester are good examples.
The word chester comes from the Latin word castrum which means a fort.
Other important Roman towns included Lincoln, Exeter, York, and Bath.
Clever town layouts
The Romans often built upon existing Celtic tribal-settlements such as Winchester and Canterbury.
Towns are designed in a grid. Streets criss-crossed the town to form blocks called insulae (the name was also used to mean 'apartment block').
In the middle was the forum. This was a big market square where people came to trade.
The main buildings were in stone. Centuries later, these Roman towns survived to become the dominant towns of Medieval England.
What Roman ruins can we see in Britain today?
Britain is full of Roman ruins as the Romans left a huge mark on the country, here are some of the most well known:
Image caption, Of all the Roman remains in Britain, Hadrian's Wall is probably the most famous. In AD122 the Emperor Hadrian ordered his soldiers to build a wall between Roman Britain and Scotland. It ran for 73 miles from Wallsend-on-Tyne to Bowness.
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Language, writing and numbers
Before the Romans came, very few Britons could read or write. Instead, information was usually passed by word of mouth.
The Romans wrote down their history, their literature and their laws.
They spoke and wrote in a language called Latin, and it wasn’t long before some Britons started to use it too.
The area south of the Fosse Way (Lincoln to Exeter) was the wealthiest and most Romanised part of Britain where Latin was spoken.
Latin was also the language of Christianity and remained the universal language of learning, law and literature for 1000 years after the end of the Roman Empire.
We've still got lots of words and phrases today that come from Latin. Words like exit, which means they go out, and pedestrian, which means going on foot.
Our coins are based on a Roman design. Written around the edge of some £1 coins is the Latin phrase 'decus et tutamen' which means glory and protection.
You can still see Roman numerals in modern Britain, on things like clocks, watches, in books and to name sporting events like the Olympics.
Think like a historian
Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.
Why would the Romans want to change the way of life in Britain?
Why might the people who lived in Britain not want to change their way of life?
How much do you think Britain actually changed under the Romans?
The Romans wanted to spread their ideas and ‘improve’ their empire, especially if they thought they were more advanced than others.
Most people would want to keep their own way of life, rather than living like someone who had invaded them. Villas were complicated and expensive and most people would have only learnt enough Latin to make basic conversation with the Romans.
Some parts of Britain became like a mini-Rome, but most people still lived in their villages and roundhouses. When the Romans left, most of their ideas and ways of life were abandoned.
Quiz - How did the Romans change Britain?
Grown-ups corner
Are you a parent, carer or teacher?
Take a look at some of the links below on KS2 History which are packed full of knowledge, videos, quizzes and activities.
KS2 History: The Romans
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 History: The Romans. 4: The Romans in Britain
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
KS2 History: The Romans. 7: Letters from Vindolanda
BBC Bitesize for Teachers
Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade game! game
Play Horrible Histories: Raid and Trade KS2 History
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