Exploring Roman Britain (Online) April 07
(Course code : O06P342AHV)
Course Venue: Online
Starts: Monday 30 April 2007 (10 meeting(s))
Course fee from ?170 - depending on the course, financial assistance or discounts may be available
email contact :
This course investigates the landscape, society and economy of Britain in the first half of the first millennium AD. Using archaeological evidence it looks at changes in lifestyles following the incorporation of Britain into the Roman Empire, and explores the long-term impact of Roman rule on different communities around the country.
The lifestyles and local environments of many people changed significantly following the incorporation of Britain into the Roman Empire. Towns were established and furnished with new types of buildings, new long-distance roads were constructed and new frontiers were set up. Regional economies became linked into Empire-wide networks of trade and exchange and new industries began to thrive. Over time, masonry buildings became common features of the countryside, and the most luxurious were adorned with wall-paintings and mosaic floors. A new religion, Christianity, began to take the place of the previous pantheon of gods, and new ideas were expressed in the arts and material culture. However, the impact of Rome on different communities in different regions varied enormously. In this course we will look at archaeological evidence for the many different processes of ?Romanisation? and explore changes in the landscape, society and economy of Britain over four centuries of Roman rule.
Session One: Britain before AD 43
Introduction to the course
Sources of evidence
Britain in the later Iron Age
Contact with the Continent and Rome
Session Two: Expansion of Roman power
Roman conquest and control
Establishing Roman rule
The army, forts and frontiers
Session Three: The Romanisation of Britain
What is Romanisation?
Changing landscapes of Roman Britain
Britons and the Roman system
Sessions Four and Five: Town-life
Coloniae, civitas capitals and other towns
The architecture of towns
Session Six: Life in the countryside
Villages, hamlets, farms and villas
Agricultural practices
Session Seven: Art and material culture
Mosaics, wall-painting, sculpture
Metalwork and personal possessions
Session Eight: Roman industry
Roman pottery
Engineering and mining
Session Nine: Roman religion
Pagan gods and goddesses
Death and burial
Christianity in Roman Britain
Session Ten: The fourth century and beyond
The collapse of imperial rule
After the Empire
Course Books:
Potter, T.W., and Johns, C., Roman Britain (2002). British Museum Press, London.
Additional Reading:
Millett, M., The Romanization of Britain: an essay in archaeological interpretation (1992). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Millett, M., English Heritage book of Roman Britain (1995). Batsford/English Heritage, London.
http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/showCourse.asp?courseId=O06P342AHV
