The Roman Legacy by Michael Coleman

School Radio

The Roman legacy By Michael Coleman

NARRATOR: By 410 AD Romans and Britons had been living together for a long time. They’d married, had children and grandchildren. If you could trace your family tree back far enough, you’d probably find a Roman ancestor! Britain was still ruled by the Romans and protected by the Roman Army – but that was about to end. In 410 AD, the Romans stopped ruling Britain and their army left for good. The Roman Empire was crumbling. It was being attacked on all sides. That included Britain, which was being threatened by warlike peoples coming from countries like Holland and Germany.

SHOUT#1: Help! We’re being attacked over here! Send some Roman soldiers!

SHOUT#2: What about us? We’re being attacked here as well!

SHOUT#3: Hold on, hold on! The Roman army can’t help you all!

NARRATOR: So the Roman emperors of the time had to make a choice – who should we help and who should we leave to fight their own battles? For a while they defended Britain...but finally withdrew their army in 410 AD.

So what evidence is there in modern Britain to show that the Romans were once here? The short answer to that question is: loads!

Every British place name that ends in ‘chester’ or ‘cester’ or ‘castor’, or in the case of Welsh places starts with ‘caer’, is a sure sign that the Romans were there – because they all come from the Latin word ‘castra’ which means camp or fort. And as you can tell from the number of them those Romans did a lot of ‘roman about’! The biggest place they roamed to is London – or, as it was then, ‘Londinium’...

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History Clips: The Romans

NARRATOR: It’s had an up and down history. In about 50 AD, not long after the invasion, the Romans began the settlement of Londinium. On the river Thames, it was the perfect spot for trading ships to travel to. In 60 AD, Queen Boudicca’s revolt reduced Londinium to ashes. By 70 AD Londinium had been rebuilt, and by 100 AD it had replaced the town we now call Colchester – as the capital of Roman Britain. Around 150 AD another big fire burnt it down again. By 200 AD Londinium had been rebuilt once more.

There are plenty of other remains of Roman Britain that you can still see – from Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England to the Roman Palace at Fishbourne near the south coast. And if you ever travel by car from London to Dover, you’ll be following the route of Watling Street, the oldest Roman road. In that case, watch out for ghosts. The Romans would bury their dead alongside roads out of town – in the hope that their spirits would keep moving and not go back to their old homes to haunt them!

Walls and buildings we can see. But there’s also a lot of evidence the Romans were in Britain from things we don’t so much see as experience. The legal system we know today began life under the Romans – for example, trials before a trusted judge. Britain became a Christian country in 380 AD, when Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Yes, Christmas began under the Romans too! When the Roman Empire switched to Christianity, the winter festival of Saturnalia - in honour of the god Saturn - was turned into the celebration of Jesus’ birth in Bethle- hem. And why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem at all? Because:

READER: ‘...a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken...’

NARRATOR: A census is a survey of the people living in a country. Yes, the census which is still carried out in Britain every ten years began with the Romans! And Emperor Augustus, who decreed that famous census, is still with us in another way...

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History Clips: The Romans History Clips: The Romans

AUGUSTUS: Augustus speaking! The month of August, is named after little old me!

NARRATOR: Yes, our calendar dates back to Roman times – as you can tell from the names of some of the other months...

JULIUS CAESAR: Julius Caesar, speaking. July is named after me!

JUNO: My name is Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. June is named after me.

MARS: And the month of March is named after me: Mars the Roman god of war!

NARRATOR: How about Latin? Until around 1400 AD - a thousand years after the Romans left – books in Britain were written in Latin. Surely that’s changed...

COMPERE: Welcome to the Latin Legacy Challenge! Peter, our contestant, has to describe his life in sentences which do NOT have a Latin word. Four buzzes like this and you’re out, Peter. Away you go.

PETER: I live with my family.

COMPERE: Sorry. ‘Family’ comes from the Latin word ‘familia’, which means ‘family.’

PETER: I go to school.

COMPERE: ‘School’ comes from the Latin word ‘schola’ – which means ‘school’!

PETER: My school has a library.

COMPERE: Oh dear. ‘Library’ comes from the Latin word ‘liber’, meaning ‘book’! Only one life left...

PETER: Right, this one can’t fail. I enjoy using my computer!

History Clips: The Romans

COMPERE: Sorry. Even some modern words are descended from Latin. ‘Computer’ comes from ‘computare’, which is Latin for ‘calculate’. I’m afraid you’re out.

PETER: Grr. Idiotic game!

COMPERE: ‘Idiotic’ comes from the Latin ‘idiota’...

NARRATOR: The Romans may no longer be in Britain, but plenty of what they brought is still with us today. They may be gone, but they are not forgotten!