AU401 – And What Did The Romans Ever Do For Us?

An upside-down exploration of the four centuries of Roman rule in Britain, but from the perspective of conquered native Britons.

Instead of using the usual ‘civilising’ narratives of Roman villas, baths and roads, we will use a wide range of archaeological evidence in the West of England, to discuss the ways in which ordinary lives were changed by the Roman invasion, and how communities accepted, resisted, or compromised with, different aspects of Roman culture.

In particular, we will examine evidence for the survival of ‘Celtic’ or Iron Age culture in rural communities in Somerset and Wiltshire, and assess the long-term successes and failures of Roman rule.