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The Romans in Britain

The Roman occupation of Britain began in 43 AD and lasted for almost 400 years. This period was marked by several key events, both military and civilian. Here is a timeline of the most important happenings during the Roman occupation of Britain.

Timeline

55-53 BC, The Roman occupation of Britain began with the first and second invasion of Julius Caesar

43 AD, Claudius orders the conquest of Britain; the first Roman governor was Aulus Plautius

50 AD, London (Londinium) is founded

55 AD, the Roman general Quintus Petillius Cerialis led an expedition into what is now Wales and defeated the Celtic tribes there

61 AD, the Romans conquered southern England after the revolt of Boudicca and established the province of Britannia

63 AD Joseph of Arimathea is sent to Britain to convert the people to Christianity.

77 AD, The Romans defeated the last of the resistant tribes in the North making all of Britain Roman.

79 AD, Roman general, Julius Agricola led a series of campaigns against the Caledonians (the Scottish tribes)

122 AD, the construction of Hadrian's Wall begins

209 AD, St Alban becomes the 1st English Christian martyr

306 AD, Constantine the Great declared Roman Emperor at York

312 AD, Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity and made Christianity legal throughout the Roman Empire.

410 AD, The Romans withdrew from Britain, after which it was invaded by several different peoples, including the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings, and the Normans

Map of Roman Britain c150 AD

Facts about Romans in Britain

  • Romans viewed the British tribes people as little more than drunken Barbarians. They were always getting into fights, and traditionally sported spikey hair and blue war paint.
  • Children in Roman Britain played games such as Dice, Hopscotch, and Hide and Seek, which have survived to the present day.
  • Medical knowledge was very limited in Roman times, but herbal medicines were very popular. Fennel was said to calm the nerves, while Sage was put in cough mixtures, and Lemon Balm helped headaches.
  • Romans enjoyed all sorts of random delicacies at their meals, one popular dish was Marinated Larks Tongues. The recipe required 1,000 of the birds.
  • One of the new religions Romans brought to Britain, was worshipping Mithras the Persian God Of Light. Male soldiers and sea merchants went underground and took part in gruesome rituals, such as being locked in a tomb for several hours.
  • Up until the Roman invasions of Britain, childrens learning solely consisted of stories, poems, songs and customs, being passed down through the generations. When the Romans arrived, if money was available, children were sent to a school called a Ludus. The boys and the few girls who attended school, learnt to write, count using an Abacus, and studied work from Greek and Roman Authors.

Roman Numeral Converter

Do you have a number you want to convert into Roman Numerals? Well here’s our handy converter tool for you to try! Enter Number: Roman Numeral: Enter Roman Numeral: Number: How To Use The Roman Numeral Converter To use the Roman numeral converter, simply enter the number you wish to convert into the ‘enter number’ […]

Roman Gladiators

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Roman Weapons

The Roman army was a very important part of the Roman Empire, and helped succeed it in becoming great. To aid them, the army had different types of weapons, giving them a distinct advantage over their barbarian enemies. To begin with, soldiers used weapons based on Greek and Etruscan models, but these models developed over […]

The Roman Army

The Roman army has been known in history as a very skilled and disciplined army throughout Ancient Rome, which was able to conquer many areas of the ancient world. At its largest, the Roman army was made up of 30 legions, or over 150,000 soldiers. Counting the auxiliary soldiers, some estimate there were well over […]

Iceni Tribe

The Iceni, also known as the Eceni, were a Celtic tribe based in what is now Norfolk, north-western Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire. They existed during the the Iron Age and early Roman era, and are best remembered for their revolt in AD 60 to 61, led by their ruler Queen Boudica, in which they challenged […]

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In Ancient Rome, the clothes in which the Romans wore said a lot about who they were and their status in society. Roman clothing consisted of togas, tunics and stolas, but different types and colors represented different members of public and those in positions of power. Most Roman’s wore colorful clothing, and dyed their clothes […]

Roman Medicine

Believe it or not, the Romans were actually very medically advanced for their time. They used different tools, methodology, and ingredients to treat and cure those that were sick. The Romans took a lot of their medical knowledge from the Greeks, and Greek scientists and doctors came to Rome as they realized they could make […]

Roman Numerals

Roman numerals are a number system that was invented by the ancient Romans for the purpose of counting and performing other day-to-day transactions. Roman numerals use just seven letters, with the quantity and order of these letters determining the value of the final number. These seven letters are I, V, X, L, C, D, and […]

Constantine The Great

Born: 27 February 272, Naissus, Moesia, Roman Empire (modern-day Serbia) Died: 22 May 337 (aged 65), Achyron, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Roman Empire (modern day İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey) Reign: 25 July 306 – 22 May 337 Constantine I, known as Constantine the Great or just Constantine, born Flavius Valerius Constantinus, was Roman emperor, reigning from 306 to […]

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