LIFE IN ROMAN BRITAIN

What was daily life like for Britons under Roman rule?

A number of new towns were created across southern Britain in the late first century AD. Each was provided with a forum (the market) and a basilica (the town hall and centre of local government). Beyond this, streets were full of private houses and a range of public amenities. Ever y Roman town would have a bathhouse, the most important place to meet, relax and socialise with other people. Theatres, amphitheatres and circuses housed essential sporting and spectator events: amphitheatres for gladiator fights, wild beast hunts and the execution of criminals; theatres for plays and religious performances; and circuses for chariot racing. Temples were set up to a variety of Roman gods, such as Jupiter, Miner va and Mars, and their native British equivalents.

Urban living

Away from the grandeur of the main buildings, little is really known about everyday life in the towns of Britain. Excavation has shown a variety of wattle and daub, timber and thatched houses and more Mediterranean-style stone houses with rooms facing an enclosed courtyard. In some instances, the part of a house fronting the street was occupied by a shop, with basic accommodation above. Anyone living in the town would have encountered Roman fashions and used Roman coins for buying and selling goods on a daily basis.

Farming in style

In the countryside, along the new roads that stretched between the towns, some of the more prosperous farms evolved into high-status villas. A villa was the grand centrepiece to a great farming estate, much like the stately houses of Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries, and provided the luxurious home for a well-to-do family.

Here, agricultural estates were managed and, in the absence of a police force, villa owners dispensed the law, deciding punishments as they saw fit. A side from being a farm, family home and place of local law enforcement, a villa also acted as a place of entertainment, where landowners, aristocrats and officials could meet, have fun and do business. In most villas, the distinction between private rooms and those set aside for dinner parties was clear enough – dining rooms possessed the best mosaics and the most elaborate forms of wall-painting.

The poorer classes

By contrast, slaves have left ver y lit tle mark in the archaeological record and were not even mentioned by contemporary Roman writers and historians.

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In the Roman empire, pottery was produced in large quantities. Everyday items plain, but more formal occasions pieces would be intricately decorated.

Roman currency

Roman currency consisted of coins made of gold, silver, brass and copper. Up until Julius Caesar, the Romans had put portraits of their ancestors on the coins. However, Caesar decided he was important enough to have his portrait on a coin.

The hypocaust system

Romans enjoyed the finer things in life, which definitely included a nice warm bathhouse – especially in the north of England.

The Romans were extremely inventive and liked to live in comfort. To counteract the British winters, they developed a system of under-floor heating. Pillars were used to raise floors above the ground. Then, hot air and smoke would then be pumped into this space. The rooms would warm up, but without any unpleasant smokiness that could arise from having a fire directly in the room.

Published in "BBC History Magazine- Classic Stories- The Story of Britain", UK, 2017, excerpts pp-16-17. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.