week 1: Post-Roman Britain 400-600 Flashcards
1
Q
What had Roman Britain been like?
A
- The natural distinction between high land and lowland Britain increased.
- the North was under military occupation, approximately 10% of the entire Roman army were stationed on or around Hadrian’s wall.
- after Boudicca’s rebellion, London became the primate city of the south. It had extensive harbour facilities near modern-day London Bridge and it was surrounded by 3km of stone wall, it was 128km big and had a pop of 50,000
- some settlements retained a number of pre-roman characteristics (e.g. roundhouses and the trinovantes maintained style of pottery, burial and building.
- some areas were more romanised than others. 5 modern day counties had 40% of the Roman villas.
- It had been divided into 4 provinces such as Britannia Prima. A fifth provide, Valentina may have also formed later.
- Within these provinces were civitates ruled by wealthy high-status residents. They had to arrange for the payment of taxes to Rome and supplement any deficits.
2
Q
extent of christianity in Roman Britain
A
- By 314, there were organised christian communities attending the council of Arles, yet only a handful of bishops attended
- lead tanks used for baptism were found, esp in EA
- overtly Christina wall paintings at Lullingstone Roman Villa, Kent
- An imperial decree in 341 banned urban temples and paganism was effectively outlawed vey the 390s. Temples still persisted in areas like Bath suggesting conversion varied considerably.
3
Q
Roman influences in the North
A
- The area closest to Hadrian’s wall subsumed into the Roman orbit but the other was more distinct.
- it still had some links to Rome. The Hoard deposited at Lothian at Traprian Law represents large amounts of wealth being injected into the area.
- The Picts had control of this area and they were divided into two major confederacies – the Dicalydones and the Verturiones.
- They spoke P-Celtic belonging to the same family of ancestors as the Welsh, Cornish and Breton (the early Brittonic languages of Roman Britain).
4
Q
why did Roman Britain decline?
A
- The wealth of lowland Britain encouraged predatory influences
- Insurrections in Persia led to the redeployment of troops and a dilution of the metal content of coinage
5
Q
Religious change
A
- outpost of the christian empire and therefore the ruling elite had been Christian. Indications it was most successful in urban areas as ideas could more easily spread.v
- Roman Villas occupied by elites also had overt religious symbols such as mosaics
- Wealth of the south encouraged barbarian invasions and with that conversion to paganism in the east of England (proximity).
- excavations at Billingford, Norfolk reveal a large number of grave goods. Contains votive artefacts dating to the 3rd century
- growth of monasticism in the west as villas collapsed they became religious houses (e.g. Mosaic at Hinton st Mary, Dorset and Chedworth Villa was no longer a private residence) but this was akin to Romanisation of East Britain during imperial expansion.
- Some 250 Latin inscriptions survive (tend to be in the highland zones of Britain and western Regions) One inscription, the Penmachno appears to carry a dating formula that depends on knowledge of consuls of Rome and Constantinople.
6
Q
Religious continuity/ambiguity
A
- Burials contain elements of both religions. Prittlewell burial had gold crosses over the eyes of the body and at Sutton Hoo there were spoons inscribed with Paul and Saul suggesting exposure to Christian practices but also burial with goods was traditionally pagan.
- Bede wrote about King Readwald of East Anglia who erected a Christina alter alongside a pagan deity.
- this suggests conversion was complex and took a long time.
7
Q
civitates
A
Roman administrative units, governed by Celts under Roman occupation
8
Q
what does Gildas suggest about religious change?
A
- polished Latin register, presumable for an audience who would understand this is indicative of the culture.
- He had clearly benefitted from a Roman education suggesting that a high-quality Latin education was still available in Britain when he was young.
- The supplies provided for the Saxons are described as annonae using the same terms Roman writers did for military provisions.
- Saxons and Picts were Roman categories. Christian references carry resonance.
9
Q
Economic change
A
- During Roman occupation 15% of people got food from someone else. After the removal of roman regions removed the tax burden faced by many and therefore they no longer needed to produce a surplus of goods in order to extract a profit from the local market. This meant that production decreased and there was a shift towards subsistence farming and deskilling of the population.
- this also meant that there was no longer a need for large scale storage infrastructure.
- secession of coinage imports preventing large scale trade and making it harder to tax. This lowered competition, productivity and innovation.
- no trade public works decline and many villas became squatter location, people retreated to hill forts such as Cadbury Castle.
- The early fifth century saw an increase in the deposition of hoards of coins suggesting wealth was disrupted as the elites concealed their affluence but never came back for it.
10
Q
economic continuity
A
- international trade continued on a diminished scale. Frankish metalwork, glass, pottery were spreading across south east England.
- Kentish brooches made of Merovingian Gold such as the Kingston Brooch dating to the 7th century found near St Martha’s church, Canterbury. This suggest areas were starting to specialise.
- At Chedworth, a mosaic was laid in the mid-fifth century, suggesting local maintenance of infrastructure or perhaps change of religious function.
- the bulk of the Romano-British population, especially the peasant backbone seems to have remained in place through the upheaval of the fifth century as it did not convert to uncultivated woodland and patterns of agriculture remained.
11
Q
political change
A
- leaders had been appointed by a central authority in Rome. When troops left this fragmented and became inchoate.
- increased in political instability and competition die to fragmentation. This is seen in princely burials suggesting that they were taking more elaborate steps to distinguish themselves. For example, Sutton Hoo.
- There was also a more militarised nature to southern kingship (Cambridge’s formidable linear defences were built in the 5th and 6th centuries right up to the edge of the Fens and burials were often furnished with weapons suggesting a propensity to take up arms) In western and northern Britain, hillforts were built (e.g. Bamburgh castle, Northumbria falling to the Bernicians in 547)
- Y gododdin stanzas mainly commemorate fallen soldiers during engagement with English kings.
- there had been instability during the Roman period as seen by the military cup by Magnus Maximus in 341, but this was sporadic and didn’t have the same scale or longevity.
- Bernicia and Deira didn’t correspond to these civitates suggesting that north didn’t have the same continuity.
- different sword belt fittings suggest regional workshops and local variation.
12
Q
political continuity
A
- Both the Dumnones and the Demetae have the same names as Roman civitates suggesting the basic infrastructure persisted.
- The book of Llandaff suggested that the first five kingdoms correspond to Roman administrative units, fulfilling much the same role
- For example, the territory which later came to constitute Kent was derived from a former Roman civitas known as Cantii. This had got its name from a pre-roman group of people who were living there
- the fragmentation of the kingdom did not spell the end of larger political organisation as overlordship existed. Bede suggests there were three during this period, the first Aelle of Sussex towards the end of the 5th century.
13
Q
source analysis during this period
A
- grave goods - christians were far less likely to bury with religious objects and so the preservation and identification of graves is much harder. This may lead to an underestimate of christianity
- orientation of the body also mattered. Typically, Christians favoured an east’ west alignment and burials around church specific areas.
- The combination of burials with christian religious goods may actually be a sign of secular burials. Social position also influence how a person was dealt with after death. Religion is more visible among the elaborate elite burials and therefore it is difficult to discern the response to christianity in normal society.
- when the romans left there was a short economic recession and so timber buildings became more common. This is harder to preserve and may give the impression of a rapid decline in urban life.
- Carved symbol stones are found across Pictland but the inscriptions are never in Roman, symbols were used to convey concepts. This may have been a reaction to Roman practice of monumentality, trying to be distinct.
14
Q
What can we learn from Gildas?
A
- He describes the roman provinces of Britain suffering repeat invasion from the Scotti and the Picts. They built Hadrians and Antoines wall and Saxon mercenaries were invited to settle if they would defend Britain.
- He does conceive the Romans as a distinct people. He describes coinage as an imposition of the Romans suggesting that during his time it was not extensively used.
- He argues the root cause of British depravity was sin. His work is an example of providential history – presenting the past in terms of God’s displeasure.
15
Q
when did Gildas write and what are some of the issues associated with his work?
A
- There are errors in his work (he places Tiberius’ reign after Boudicca’s revolt) and made the usurper Maximus responsible for the final removal of troops from Britain. He read Orosius so he would have known about Constantine III and therefore his omission of this appears deliberate, perhaps in accordance with his own religious narratives.
- He argues that the Saxons arrived in 446, however this is at odds with the archaeological evidence which pre-dates this to 430. -The Welsh Annals date the Battle of Mount Badon to 516 which Gildas says happened 43 years before his time of writing. This suggests authorship during the 560s not the 540s as traditionally thought.
