Britannia - the edge of the Roman Empire. Today, only the remains of monumental
edifices echo a once mighty civilization that could reach such distance shores.
Standing in contrast to the stunningly preserved vestiges of empire that reflect the
wealth and importance of its former provinces - Africa, Egypt and Syria;
the archaeology of Britannia is no less imposing, but it is the island’s rich
landscape that enhances the beauty of remnants exposed to the ravages
of a climate that the Mediterranean never had to endure.
In this video we’ll take an aerial tour of some of the best preserved sites for
Roman archaeology in this once distant province, and give a short commentary
on the story of the Romans in Britain. Drones really provide a visual appreciation
for the impact this civilization made on the British Isles. I can’t cover the whole island
with the footage presently available, but hope that what you see here
provides a taste of the rich archaeological legacy left to us by the Romans.
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you’d be interested in hearing about in a more comprehensive documentary.
In the classical world, Britannia was a land of mystery. It was known to the Greeks,
but some explorers still doubted its existence. When some of Tiberius' ships
were carried to Britain in a storm during his campaigns in Germany in 16 CE,
they still came back with tales of monsters - even after Rome’s legendary general,
Julius Caesar had led an expedition to its shores, beyond the
limits of the Roman world, and established client kingdoms.
Britain was not invaded for its wealth – it wasn’t even of any strategic
military importance. This was no buffer against a competing military state
in the same way Parthia was in the east. Strabo had argued that taxes on trade
between its tribes and Rome brought more annual revenue than any conquest ever
could. However, decades of incremental conquests beginning in 43 CE
saw it absorbed into the empire simply because of political expedience.
Claudius needed a herculean triumph to strengthen his claim to the throne
and solidify the support of the army, and a land that not even Julius Caesar
could subjugate, provided the necessary kudos. The need to balance the treasury
after Caligula’s profligate reign would also no doubt have been an attractive benefit,
but if we are to believe Rome’s version of events, then it was simply coming
to the assistance of an overthrown tribal king and ally.
But then again, the Roman’s always found a pretext to justify invasions.
The military expenditure required to maintain the province was arguably
disproportionate to its long term financial value to the empire. Evidence from coins
demonstrates how constant revolts and even breakaways from the empire provided
numerous excuses for successive emperors to claim victories for Rome.
Boudicca’s uprising being the most notable of them all,
and which is said to have driven Nero to consider abandoning the island altogether.
For much of the history of Roman Britain, a large number of soldiers were garrisoned
on the island in case of uprisings by the native Celtic tribes and to counter invasion
by the Picts and Scots. In order to maintain this security, the province required the
presence of three legions; but command of these forces provided an ideal power
base for ambitious rivals. This required that the emperor station a trusted senior man
as governor of the province. As a result, many future emperors served as governors
or legates in the province, including Vespasian. Deploying those legions
elsewhere would strip the island of its garrison and leave the island defenceless.
Inevitably, Britannia became a starting point to attaining the imperial throne,
with such power generating several rival emperors; not least Constantine.
It is for this reason that the legions have had the most impact on Roman Britain,
and whilst there are luxurious villas in the south and west of England, it is Rome’s
military presence that has printed the greater archaeological footprint on Britain’s
surface. The legionary cities of Isca Augusta (Caerleon), Diva (Chester) and
Eboracum (York) were permanent additions to the landscape in the west and north.
Arguably the most impressive (although not representative of the farthest extent of
Rome’s dominion) is Hadrian’s Wall and its magnificent system of fortifications,
probably constructed to control trade and exchange
as much as for defence against the Caledonians.
Hardknott Fort in Cumbria is a lesser known (but no less imposing) construction
carried out during the reign of Hadrian. Known to the Romans as the fort of
Mediobogdum, and built between 120 and 138 CE on an isolated rocky spur
overlooking the River Esk, this majestic fortification once controlled the road
from Ravenglass through the high fells to forts at Ambleside and Kendal
– now commanding magnificent views of the landscape. What truly makes
Hardknott Fort remarkable is its levelled military parade ground
- perhaps the finest surviving example in Western Europe.
The decline of Roman Britain had a significant impact on its eastern shores.
The second half of the fourth century witnessed economic decline as well as
political and military instability in northeast Gaul and the Rhineland.
Stress on the frontiers was constant, but attacks now came - not only from the Scoti
(Irish) in the west - but from the Saxons as well. A series of shore forts were
constructed to defend the eastern coasts against raids.
The Notitia Dignitatum (a late Roman document) mentions 9 forts stretching from
Norfolk to Hampshire, but the fortification chain was undoubtedly greater in extent.
Some of these forts have fallen victim to the sea, but others have survived the ravages of
time and the quarrying of stone for buildings. The partial circuit walls are well
preserved at Burgh Castle, whilst at Pevensey, the Normans constructed a stone
keep within its Roman walls. It is at Portchester that we find the fort walls
standing at close to original height – said to be the best preserved Roman fort
north of the Alps. It owes its remarkable state of conservation for near continuous
occupation, firstly as the outer baily of a Norman castle, a medieval palace and then
a gaol during the Napoleonic Wars. Most of its bastions are complete and
from the outside the walls appear much as they would have done to the Romans.
Roman Britain, above all else, was more a military domain than a fully Romanized
province, and it is these forts and ramparts the soldiers left behind that
have left a magnificent and indelible impression on our geography and history.