The Romans in Britain 

1. The Roman Empire.
2. The Roman Conquest of Britain.
3. Roman Influence.
4. Britain as a Roman colony.
5. The fail of the Roman Empire.
6. King Alfred and the Celts after the Romans have left.
7. The first German tribes on the BI.
8. The word “Garberian” in old times and today.
9. Latin borrowings in the English language.

     a) The origin of the name

     The name Britain comes from the word “Pretani”, the Greco-Roman word for the inhabitants of Britain. The Romans mispronounced this word and called the island “Britannia”.

     b) Reasons for invasion

     The Romans had invaded because the Celts of Britain were working with the Celts of France against them. The British Celts were giving them food and allowing them to hide in Britain.

     There was another reason. The Celts used cattle to pull their ploughs and this meant that richer, heavier land could be fromed. Under the Celts Britain had become an important food producer because of its mild climate.

     It now experted corn and animals. The Romans could make use of British food for their own army fighting the Gauls.

     The Roman Empire 

     2000 years ago, while the Celts were still living in tribes, the Romans were the most powerful people in the world. Roman society differed greatly from that of the Celts. It was a slave society, devided into antoganistic classes. The main were: the slaves and the slave owners. The slave owners made up the minoity of the population, but owned the land, the tools, buildings and slaves. He slaved possessed neither land nor tools and were themselves the property of the slave owners. The slaves could be bought and sold, they could be exchanged or given away like any other thing, they could be kept in chains, whipped and put to death.

     Slavery was the first and the most inhuman form of explotaion. The slave owners appropriated almost all the results of the slaves’ labour. The slaves were given food and clothing so they wouldn’t die of sthuation or cold. Thus whatever was produced by the slaves beyond the needs on themselves was taken away by their masters. Oversees forced the slaves to work more. The disobedient slaves were severely punished. Government bodies issued acts beneficial to the explotize. With the help of the army the slave owners put down the upsings and actually they defeated. In the 1^st century BC and in the 1^st century AD slavery spread widely in the Roman Empire.

     Unlike the ancient Eastern Greeks, where the land was mainly cultivated by peasants, in Rome very many slaves were engaged in agriculture. Large farms in Italy were worked entirely by gains of slaves. The slave system reached its peak in the Roman Empire. No other country in the ancient world had so many slaves and Roman did. In no other country did slave labour replace that of the frumen on such a large scale. 

     The Roman Conquest of Britain 

     One of the last countries to be conquered by the Romans was France or Gaul. The war against the Gauls who were Celtic tribes lasted for 8 years. Julius Caesar was appointed the Head of the Roman Army which was sent to conquer Gaul. In the course of his compaign Caesar reached the Channel. And that was how the Romans came to see the white cliffs of the land of the British Isles (22 miles separated France and Great Britain).

     In 55 BC a Roman army of 10 thousand men crossed the Channel and invaded Britain. the Celts saw their ships approaching and rushed to attack the invaders in the sea as they were landing. The Celts made a great impression on the Romans, who saw them from the first time in battle: on the occasion of the battle their hair and moustache were dyed red and their legs and arms were painted blue. With loud shouts they attacked the Romans on fo// and in cheviots. The well-armed Romans had to return to Gaul, they were defeated.

     In the next year, 54 BC, Caesar again came to Britain, this time with a larger army, which consisted of 25 thousand men. The Celts fought bravely, but they were not strong enough. In spite of their courage the Celts couldn’t drive the Romans off. The Romans, who had better army and armour, were much better trained and they defeated the Celts in several battles. Some of the chiefs submitted and promised to pay tributes to Romans. Caesar then went back to Gaul to complete his conquest of(on) the continent.

     Although Julius Caesar came to Britain twice in the course of two years, he was not able really to conquer it. The promised tribute was not paid, and the real conquest of Britain by the Romans was not begun until nearly a 100 years after Caesar visits the island.

     In 43 AD a Roman army invaded Britain and conquered the South-East. Other parts of the country were taken from time to time during the next 40 years. The //hilly districts in the West were very difficult to subdue and the Romans had to set up many canyss in that part of the country. The Celts fought fiercely against the Romans, who never managed to become the masters of the land. They were unable to conquer the Scottish Highlands and the province of Britain consisted only of southern part of the island. From time to time the Picts from the north managed to rade the Romans stationed their legions in Britain.

     Straight roads were built so that the legions might march quickly whenever they were needed, to any part of the country. These roads were made of several layers of stones: of mortar[строитю раствор] and gravel[гравий]. They were made so well that they lasted a long time and still exist today. Besides to guard the province against the Picts and Scots the Romans built a high wall in the North called Hadrian’s Wall, because it was built by command of the Emperor Hadrian. From one end of the wall to the other forts were built. And the Roman warriors could be seen marching up and down the whole length of the wall.

     When the northern Britons were not at war with the Romans they often came to the wall and traded with the warriors and the Romans would go hunting in the region north of the wall. But it seldom happened.

     Roman Influence in Britain

 

     As a result of the conquest signs of Roman civilisation spread over Britain. There had been no towns in Britain before the Romans conquered it. The civilised Romans were city-dwellers, and as soon as they had conquered Britain, they began to build towns, splendid villas, public baths as in Rome itself.

     York, Glocester, Londod, Lincoln became the chief Roman towns. There were also about 50 smaller towns. Londod became a centre of trade by road and river. Glocester, York and Lincoln sprang up round the Roman military camps. The towns of Bath because famouse for its hot springs. The first Roman baths were built there. The towns grew up as markets and centres of administration. In most towns there were market places and plenty of shps where merchants sold their goods. The houses were built of stone, plastered and painted with roofs made of large red tiles[черепица]. The rich merchants and officials had luxurious houses which contained many rooms, with mosaic floors and central heating. Every Roman town had a drainge system and a good supply of pure water. Temples and public bathes could be found in most towns.

     The Roman towns were military stations surrounded by walls for defence, which were guarded by the Roman warriors. The Romans were great road-makers and now a network of roads connected all parts of the country. One of the chief roads was Watling Street which ran from Dover through London to Chester – and into Wales. Along the roads new towns and villages sprang up. Great tracks of forest were cleared, swamps were drained and con fields took their place.

     Britain as a Roman Colony

 

     Britain became one of the granaries[??] of the Roman Empire. A constant trade was carried with other parts of the Empire. The chiefs export: corn, lead, tin and building tiles. The goods were sent in wagons along the roads of Britain, Gaul and Italy straight to Rome. Britain imported luxury goods, especially fine pottery and metalware. But together with high civilisation the Romans brought slavery and explotation to the British Isles. Rich Romans had the villas in the country with lagre estates which were worked by gains of slaves. Prisoners of war were sent to the slave market to the Roman Empire.

     The free Celts were not turned into slaves but they had to pay heavy taxes to the conquerers and were made to work for them. The Romans made them clean forests, drain swamps, build roads, bridges and walls for defence. That was how the famous Hadrian Wall was built. Among the Celts themselves inequidity began to grow. The tribal chiefs and nobility became richer than other members of the tribe. Many of them because officials acting for Rome – наместники. Many tribal chiefs who submitted were appointed to rule their people, but now they acted in the name of the Roman Empire.

     The nobel Celts adopted the mode of life of their conquerers: they lived in rich houses and dressed as Romans, they were proud to wear the toga – the sign of being a Roman citizen. They spoke Latin, but the rank and file[рядовые, простые люди] Celts went on living in their tiny huts, spole their native language and didn’t understand the language of the Romans.

     The Fall of the Roman Empire

 

      The Romans remained in Britain for about 4 centuries. And during that time Britain was a Roman province governed by Roman governors and protevted by Roman legions. The Romans came to govern and to trade to Britain but NOT TO SETTLE. There were few people who tried to change the language and the customs. They managed to do it in France, in Spain but not in Britain, because the majority of the population were still Celts who spoke the eltic language.

     In the IIId - IV^th centuries the power of the Roman Empire gradually weakened. The unproductive labour of the slaves led to the economic decline of the Empire. Neither new methods of land cultivisation nor new technological inventions were introduced. Slavery became a great obscure to technological progress. Poor cultivation exhausted the hills, the harvest became porer from year to year. The struggle at the exploited against the slave owners greately weakened the Roman Empire too. The enormous number of slaves presented a great danger to the Roman Empire.

      The end of the IV^th century found the germanic tribes invading the western Roman Empire. And the slaves were joining them by thousands. Early in the V^th century – in 407 the Roman legions were recalled crom Britain to defend the central provinces of the Roman Empire from the attacks of the barbarian tribes. They didn’t return to Britain and the Celts were left alone in the land.

When the Romans left they left behind absolutely leadless and defenceless people.

     The Romans brought christianity to Britain (to England more correctly) and the development of the country ////. This religion helped to spread, but after the Romans had left the Celtic population returned to their pagan Gods. During the V^th century the germanic tribes of Jutes, Angles and Saxons overrent the Empire and settled in all parts of it. The fall of the Western Roman Empire meant the end of the slave-owning system in Western Europe.

     Traces of the Roman Rule in Britain

 

     There are today many things in Britain to remind people of the Romans. The wells which the Romans dug give water today and the chief roads are still among the highways of modern Britain(England). Watling street still runs from London to Chester. Other streets: the Fosse Way and Ermine Stree still mark the map for no better roads were made until the XVIII^th century.

     Long streches of Hadrian’s Wall, the ruines of the public baths and parts of the Roman bridges have remained up today. The fragments of the old London Wall built by the Romans can still be seen. Often even now, when men are digging in England, they find Roman pottery, glass, tires, statues, armour, coins and other things that were used by Romans. Many of these remains may be seen in the British Museum.

     Many words of Modern English have come from Latin. The words which the Romans left behind them in the language of Britain are for the most parts of the names of the things which they taught the Celts.

     The word “street” – “strata”– road.

     Port – porta

     Wall – vallum.

The names of many English towns are of Latin origin too. The Roman towns were strongly fortified and were called castra, which means camp. This word can be recognised in verious forms in such names as Chester, Winchester, Manchester, Donchester, Lancaster. Any English town today with the name ending in –chester, -cester, -caster was once a Roman camp or a city. The town name Lincoln comes from the Latin word “colonia”=a colony. Colcester=colonia+castra. The city of Bath was an important Roman watering place, although it has lost its Roman name.

      But Roman influence in Britain was weaker than in other provinces, because the province of Britain was separated from the mainland of Europe by the Channel and the North Sea.

      “Milk” – the word was known by the Celts, but the word “cheese” and “butter” have Latin origin. They are called the Latin of the first layer. Also some plants and fruit: “pear”, “cherry” (“plum”) – Latin origin.

Seminar

Months:

January – from Janus – a Roman god of beginnings and Endings, he had two faces. He looked into the past and froward to the beginning year.

February – februa – purification – it was a month when ancient Romns had a festival of purifications.

March – the month of Mars, Roman god of War. Before the time of Julius Caesar the Roman year began with March.

April – not clear origin. The Latin month was Aprilius: a) apero – second; b) aperire – to open.

May – after the Roman goodess of spring, growth and increase, Maia.

June – Juno, the Roman goodess of the moon, the festival was celebrated on the 1^st day of the month.

July – the month began to be called so in the year when Caesar was killed.

August – in honour of the Roman Emperor Augustur Caesar.

September – the 7^th month(=> septima)

October – the 8^th (=> octavia)

November – the ninth

December – the tenth. 

• Vicus – village – Norwich, Wooliwich.
• Portus – port – Bridport, Portsmouth.
• Fossa – pob – Fossbrooke, Fosseway.
• Schola – school.