Celts and Romans, 2000 BC to 400 AD

Celts and Romans, 2000 BC to 400 AD  1. Pre – Roman Britain  - oldest human settlements discovered in Britain 8000 years ago - beginning of agriculture in the British Isles and parts of Europe 4000 BC - traces: Stonehenge  Bronze Age   Iron Age  - Innovations: iron -> weapons, easier to produce, cheaper (from 750 BC); horse-power - Iron Age England: settlements - metalworking in bronze -> new material, networks of trade across the British Isles - creation of axe industry (head of an axe made from bronze) - close band between religion and nature (gods linked to specific parts of nature e.g. river or forest gods)  The Celts  - earliest groups of people who lived in the British Isles - shared a common culture with the Celts of Europe (arrived from mainland Europe) - not a homogeneous nation: spread all over Europe, “greatest losers in history” -> tribes attacked and -----defeated Rome but they never united, consequently had no great -----------impact on Europe; fighting amongst each other; linked by language but ----not by political organisation - Celtic languages as the most lasting evidence of their existence in Britain (Wales, Scotland, Ireland) Etymology: “The Celts” - Greek influence: modern name for the Celts derives from keltoi = stranger, used by Greek writers - Romans used Galli for the Celts (also a region in France) The Fate of the Celts - Romans conquered parts of the British Isles, Anglos-Saxons colonised -> the Celtic legacy was almost eradicated - traces of the Celts in the south and east of Britain are not visible anymore - but in Ireland, Wales and partly Scotland - Celtic societies in Ireland: more rural, smaller settlements, isolated, self ------– centred (England: trade with mainland Europe) - Welsh society: like the Irish – rural British Isles on the Eve of Roman Invasion - broad contrast: urbanised Celtic societies in the south of England (traided with mainland Europe: kettle, ----------------grane, slaves <-> glass, wine, oil) and more rural/traditional communities in highland – ----------Britain and Ireland - pre-Roman era: prehistory = oral culture -> no written language/documents → with the Romans arriving, we enter history - Greek merchant Pytheas named the island Prettanike or Brettanai (Celtic words: “land of the painted people) in 325 BC - Romans called it Britannia (dominant name) and Albion (possibly from lat. albus “white”) - further Roman names: Caledonia – Scotland, Cambria – Wales, Hibernia – Ireland  2. The Roman arrival in Britain   flourishing, wealthy regions -> worth conquering; advanced regions for agriculture e.g. grain  links with Rome: tribes in the south of England were hungry for Roman “luxury” products - trade  “Romanisation”: wealthy parts of the Celtic tribes used Roman products, got interested in their religion/language  Romans considered Britain as an uncivilized country (little civilisation in the south, many regions wild/brutal especially the inland people)  Romans thought of themselves as the centre of the world; British Isles as remote regions Julius Cesar‘s Invasions of 55 and 54 BC - first person known in British history = Julius Cesar; saw Celts as part of the “Northern Barbarians” -> conquer and add the British Isles to the Roman Empire 1) First expedition 55 BC: Romans not used to the rough North sea (ships destroyed, blown away) 2) Second expedition 54 BC: storms, some Britains united against the Romans; Cesar called back to Rome (problems within the government, later murdered)  almost 100 years of peace both failed The Roman Invasion of 43 AD by Claudius  successful - no unity among the Britains; established himself and the Roman troupes in the southern part of the Isles - first Roman capital: Colchester (Romans moved on, fought against tribe by tribe) - persecution of the Druids (religious men of the Celts = centre of anti – Roman resistance; killed them, replaced them with Roman ideals) → Romans became dominant but never controlled the whole British Isles (only England); Celts controlled the greater part  Impact of the Romans  - ruled 350 years over the British Isles -> imposed one culture upon another - modernised various tribal societies (centralisation: one system of government, evidence = Hadrian’s Wall - cut the island in two almost equal parts - boundary between Celtic and Roman regions - too exhaustive for Romans to conquer all of the British Isles (“wild” people, not that many resources) - end of Roman taxation trade, transport, coinage…) - “golden age” for Roman Britain (1st half of 4th century): exploited the wealth of the isles + linked them with mainland Europe; advanced agriculture; use of coins introduced; system of transport -> roads still used today ➢ Christianity - dominant religion in Rome, most important Roman influence on Britain - bishops ruled in a monarchical system - advantages: - more personal religion (one could speak to their god) - religion of the upper part of society, fashionable - monotheistic -> one god - idea of an afterlife The Rebellion of Boudica 61 AD - most wide-spread rebellion against Romans; against Nero -> Boudica united neighbouring tribes - major success: took Londinium (centre of Roman wealth/trade), killed everyone -> anger, new troops - defeated Boudica in the open field (Boudica poisoned herself); the South never rose against Romans again  The British Isles 400 AD - contrast between cultural areas: South – modernised, modern, written documents; other Celtic parts – without modern qualities  The “Barbarians” in the North - great barbarian invasion in the 4th century: northern tribes ‘Picts and Scots’ stepped across Hadrian’s Wall - “imperial overstretch” – Roman Empire was too large to hold; many groups started to step over the boundaries - ‘Picti’: painted people, Celtic warriors used blue paint GUIDING QUESTIONS The Romans Depart - expelled by the British tribes in 409 (loss of confidence…) - What was left?: - first written documents -> history - Christianity - founded Londinium - urban structures 1) What is known about the origins of the Celts and their language? 2) What was the impact of the Romans on the British Isles and its various parts? 3) What made Christianity attractive to the native inhabitants of the British Isles?