Concetti Chiave
- The ancient Britons were the original inhabitants of Britain, with a culture dating back to the Neolithic period, marked by mysterious monuments like those in southern England.
- The Celts, Indo-European tribes, settled in Britain, forming clans led by selected leaders who were both warriors and administrators, living in fortified hill forts.
- Celtic culture was deeply spiritual, with Druids acting as spiritual leaders, judges, and healers, and their art expressed in artefacts and runes with possible magical meanings.
- The Roman conquest of Britain began in 43 A.D., bringing urban civilization, with the construction of Hadrian’s Wall and the adaptation of Celtic tribes to Roman customs.
- Romans left a lasting legacy in Britain, including town names, road systems, urban planning, and Latin influences in the English language, shaping modern British culture.
Who were the ancient inhabitants of Britain?
The original inhabitants of Britain were a
called Britons, whose culture is a bit of a mystery as it dates back to the Neolithic period.
Pre-Celtic people in Britain had previously built a civilization of which the best known monuments are located in southern England:
It was built some time between 5,000 and 4,500 years ago. We do not know its exact function but apparently it was a sort of astronomical clock that was used to mark the passing of the seasons.
The Celts.
Celtic society
The Celts were Indo-European tribes from Europe and Asia Minor in pre-Roman
times.
The name Celts comes from the Greek word Keltoi which means barbarians.
The Celts who settled in England were split into many different clans, each ruled by a leader who did not inherit the title, but was chosen among the men sharing a blood relationship with the clan.
Leaders had to be strong warriors and good administrators to work out
disagreements with other clans and conduct trade. Members of a clan supported
each other and that is one of the major reasons why the Celts never developed an empire.
They were an advanced society: they made iron weapons, wove their clothes, and
were experienced farmers and hunters.
They lived in hill forts surrounded by strong walls. In battle the Celts used iron spears and swords, and they also carried long wooden and iron shields.
Blue paint was often used to draw designs on their skin to frighten their enemies.
Women could fight as well as men. Queen Boudicca was, in fact, one of the most
famous Celtic warriors who led an uprising against the Romans when they invaded
Britain.
Celtic culture and art
The Celts believed that every natural element had a little deity living in it.
They counted on Druids who were believed to understand nature and the world
around them so well that they could predict the future and heal the sufferings.
Druids also acted as judges and doctors. Celtic art in Britain survives in a few
artefacts and monuments, but hardly at all in a literary form.
The earliest English written records are a few inscriptions that might have
had some magical function or meaning, expressed in strange characters known as
As time went by, runes continued to be carved in wood or stone into Christian
monuments or on practical objects such as the Ruthwell Casket (early 8th
century).Roman Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain
In 55 and 54 B.C. (Before Christ) Julius Caesar made military expeditions to Britain.
The Roman conquest of Britain, however, only began in 43 A.D. (Anno Domini, i.e., ‘in the year of our Lord’), under the Emperor Claudius, but remote areas of Scotland and the whole of Ireland never came under Roman control.
To defend Britain from the Celts, the Romans built a long wall in the north of
modern England in 121 A.D., called Hadrian’s Wall from the name of the emperor who had it erected. The Celtic tribes, who lived in Britannia (this was the name the Romans gave to their new province), adapted to Roman civilization, and became Christian in the 4th century.
The Roman legacy in Britain
The Roman presence in Britain can still be traced in the names of some towns
ending in -chester and -cester (such as Manchester and Leicester), in the road
systems, in the foundations of some of today’s major cities (including London, at that time called Londinium), as well as, of course, in the latinate part of the English vocabulary.
The Romans brought their civic organization to Britain and created an urban
civilization on the Roman model.
The Celtic chiefs and leading families adopted the Roman way of life and had their sons educated in the Roman manner. Town planning was also radically changed by the Roman presence: walled towns were erected in the Roman style, some outside Roman fortresses and some on the sites of the old tribal centres.
In the countryside, older farm complexes were replaced by villas around which
rural life was organized.
The Roman armies managed to oppose the first Saxon raids in the late 3rd century, but oncethey were withdrawn in about 410, Britain gradually fell prey to the invasion by Germanic tribes on the coast of northern Europe
Domande da interrogazione
- Who were the original inhabitants of Britain and what is known about their civilization?
- What characterized Celtic society and leadership in pre-Roman Britain?
- How did the Celts express their culture and beliefs?
- What was the significance of the Roman conquest of Britain?
- What lasting impacts did the Romans leave in Britain?
The original inhabitants of Britain were the Britons, whose culture remains somewhat mysterious as it dates back to the Neolithic period. They built significant monuments, such as those in southern England, which are believed to have served as astronomical clocks.
Celtic society was composed of Indo-European tribes known as Celts, who were organized into clans led by chosen leaders. These leaders were strong warriors and administrators. The Celts were advanced in making iron weapons, farming, and hunting, and they lived in fortified hill forts.
The Celts believed in deities residing in natural elements and relied on Druids for spiritual guidance, healing, and judgment. Their art survives in artefacts and monuments, though not much in literary form. Runes were used for inscriptions with possible magical meanings.
The Roman conquest began in 43 A.D. under Emperor Claudius, leading to the construction of Hadrian’s Wall to defend against the Celts. The Romans introduced urban civilization, and the Celtic tribes adapted to Roman ways, eventually becoming Christian by the 4th century.
The Roman legacy in Britain includes town names ending in -chester and -cester, the road systems, and the foundations of major cities like London. They introduced civic organization, urban planning, and influenced the English vocabulary with Latin elements.
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