Peoples of Britain
By Dr Simon James
Britain and the Romans
Almost everyone in Britannia was legally and culturally 'Roman'
The Roman conquest, which started in AD 43, illustrates the profound cultural and political impact that small numbers of people can have in some circumstances, for the Romans did not colonise the islands of Britain to any significant degree. To a population of around three million, their army, administration and carpet-baggers added only a few per cent.
'The future Scotland remained beyond Roman government, although the nearby presence of the empire had major effects.'
The province's towns and villas were overwhelmingly built by indigenous people - again the wealthy - adopting the new international culture of power. Greco-Roman civilisation displaced the 'Celtic' culture of Iron Age Europe. These islanders actually became Romans, both culturally and legally (the Roman citizenship was more a political status than an ethnic identity). By AD 300, almost everyone in 'Britannia' was Roman, legally and culturally, even though of indigenous descent and still mostly speaking 'Celtic' dialects. Roman rule saw profound cultural change, but emphatically without any mass migration.
However, Rome only ever conquered half the island. The future Scotland remained beyond Roman government, although the nearby presence of the empire had major effects. The kingdom of the Picts appeared during the third century AD, the first of a series of statelets which, during the last years and collapse of Roman power, developed through the merging of the 'tribes' of earlier times.
NB2
- Tests were given and doubts were solved.
- Homework: Grammar. Units 11,12. about the simple past.
- Grammar. unit 24. about regular and irregular verbs.
- Listening: Holidays. activities 3,4
- Speaking: "What did you do in your last Holidays?" . five students gave a speech about the topic and were given a mark for it.
- Reading: "When in Rome". A story cut up in pieces you had to put together so as it made sense.
- Homework: Grammar. Unit 24, activities
-NI2
- Homework:Revise and check. ST.b.p19, Graammar, units 99,100,
- Grammar: Unit 103 . Position of adverbs.
- Speaking: Position of adverbs, a game.
- Vocabulary: Unit 2a .St.B.p.147. Health and medicine. We saw the sections: At the doctor´s, symptoms, Medical conditions, Alternative Medicine. It´s quite a big vocabulary load, very useful, though. This activity took a great deal of time.
- Speaking:"Are you a Hypochondriac?" , a quiz to do with your partner .
Homework: Grammar, units 103, 110.