Life in Roman Britain

Life in Roman Britain

Romans in Britain experienced a different lifestyle:

* Different weather• Distance from towns; isolation• Unfamiliar Celtic customs• Lack of many urban amenities

Native British lifestyle

• Most lived in the countryside• Lived by farming with a little left over for trade• House consisted of a single round room, with

no windows & only one low door; an open fire in the center

Romano-British life

• Roman invasion in 43AD• Within 30 years, Romano-British villas began to

appear; most belonged to British people who were imitating a more Roman lifestyle

• These were not holiday retreats, but working farms

• These had rectangular rather than round buildings• New building materials such as brick & tile• Houses had 4 or 5 rooms

Romano-British Life

• Villas became more complicated with hypocaust (under floor) heating, ornamental gardens, mosaics, flushing toilets, glass windows, baths with tepidarium and caldarium

• They also had workshops, barns, quarters for farm laborers, sheds for animals, etc.

Farming

• Main crops were cereal grains: barley, oats, rye, wheat

• Animals included cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dogs, horses, geese & hens, bees

• Some new fruits & vegies had been brought by the Romans, such as cherries & peas

• Heavier plow became available

Farms & Slaves

• A villa would be supervised by a farm manager, like Varica

• Labor was performed by slaves, most of such were British• Celtic chieftains traded slaves taken in raids & inter-tribal

warfare• Slaves had some legal protection: an owner who killed a

slave could be charged with murder but this was often ignored.

• As time sent on, slaves became increasingly scarce & expensive

• Gravestone from Chester was set up to the memory of 3 slaves who died young, including 2 10 year olds named Atilianus and Anti-Antilianus, probably twins

• Lavatory• Deleterious• Quotidian• Donation• Indecorous• Infidelity• Deity• marital

• Astound• Regal• Diligence• Deity• Ennoble• Necessitate• Familiar• Indelible