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The amphitheatre in Roman London © Victor Ambrus
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'Let these examples of good fortune and bad fortune warn you not to prefer rebellion and ruin to submission and safety.' Tacitus.

The Roman goal
To a certain extent everyone living in Britain from the first to the early fifth century was either Romanised or in the shadow of the Roman experience. Those within the frontier had to live under the Roman administration, pay taxes and follow Roman laws while those outside the frontiers still existed close to the social and economic influences of the province.

One of the key successes of the Roman system was the encouragement of conquered peoples to become like Romans; and in the British province it was no different. Rather than destroying all that went before, the Romans developed a method of Romanising natives by allowances. For instance, local deities continued to be worshipped yet combined with Roman gods, one example being the way that Nodens (a British god) and Mars (the Roman god of war) were combined as at the temple of Nodens-Mars at Lydney in Gloucestershire. Rewards and benefits were available for those who embraced the Roman way of living. The Roman idyll was held up as a goal for those who wished to be successful, educated and of high status rather like the way that many aspire to the fantasy of the manor house and Mercedes today. From the aristocracy to the peregrine, being a Romano-Briton may have meant different scales of aspiration or oppression, but all lived as a part of the greater empire.

Society
At the highest levels of society were Roman citizens. Citizenship was an honour which was either inherited at birth or bestowed as a reward for outstanding service. All legionaries were Roman citizens and non-Roman auxiliary troops were awarded their title after 25 years of military service. As a citizen you were entitled to a number of benefits which included tax incentives, protection from legal punishment, recognition of marriage and also the right to vote. After AD212 the emperor Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to all the free people of the empire.

After citizens, the rest of Romano-British society was divided into peregrines (non-citizens), slaves and freed slaves. Slavery is known to have existed during Iron-Age Britain, but for the Romans it was a substantial and important part of their economy. Peregrines could sell themselves into slavery to pay debts, as could a freed slave. The children of slaves, and ultimately the costs of their upbringing, were the responsibility of their master and infanticide was certainly practiced as a result. Many slaves gained education through their association with sympathetic families and many were freed as a reward for service. Freed slaves, or freedmen, could reach some positions of power and many are known to have become successful merchants. Some people of Britain were also awarded 'Latin Rights', such as those who lived in the Municipia of Verulamium. These allowed for special privileges akin to being half-way between a peregrine and a full citizen.

The Roman experience
For many the experience of living in Roman Britain would have been one of enjoyment. The Romans brought with them public games, theatre, heated baths, roads, water systems, great works of engineering and survey, heating and culinary delights. They also provided something of a secure state government (though at times this was tested) which featured policing, a generally stable economy and a defined structure. Latin, the language of government, was widely adopted as were roman names, though people continued to speak Celtic languages as we still hear them today in areas such as Scotland and Wales. The style of Rome became very popular in both architecture and dress. In Lindsay Allason-Jones' remarkable book, Women in Roman Britain, the author outlines how the Syrian wife of the emperor Septimius Severus came to Britain with her husband on a state visit in the early 3rd century and caught the imagination of British women. Her dress, hairstyle and manners were closely observed and copied as the height of fashion. This was the pinnacle of what it was to be Romanised; to fully adopt the Roman culture and way of life.

Click here for recommended books and websites about Being A Roman.