Roman remains

 

What happened to Roman Britain?

 

By the 2nd century A.D. Roman Britain had become quite wealthy. As a result, it found itself under constant attack from a lot of tribes who lived outside the Roman borders. The Romans thought these people were not civilised and were barbarians.

 

By the 5th century A.D. barbarian tribes were also attacking other countries in the Roman Empire. Emperor Honorius was worried by these attacks, so he decided that the Roman Legions in Britain were needed to defend France and Italy. He sent a letter to the people of Britain telling them why all the soldiers had to leave. He also gave ordinary people permission to learn how to fight the Saxons, who were invading Britain. And so the Romans left.

 

What did Roman rule leave behind?

 

The Roman army left Britain over 1,500 years ago. They left behind a huge legacy. Many types of animals and plants were brought to Britain in Roman times, e.g. sweet chestnut trees and chickens.

 

When we travel many people still measure distance in miles and until recently we measured most things in feet and inches. All these are Roman measurements.

 

The Romans also introduced Christianity to Britain. Many churches are still built using designs like a Roman Basilica.

 

Reading and writing were also introduced by the Romans. Before the Romans arrived nobody in Britain knew how to read or write. Stories and knowledge could only be passed on by word of mouth. From Roman times onwards people in Britain would always write things down.

 

The Romans also helped the English language. Many words in English and Welsh have been borrowed from the Latin language. Some examples are: autumn, beautiful, continue, different ...

 

In Britain we also have many archaeological sites. Today, you can visit the places where the Romans actually lived and see, and even touch, objects and buildings made by Roman people themselves.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/remains.shtml

 

Vocabulary