Romanization!

Films portray the Romans in various ways. Some fair whilst others can be very inaccurate. Being around Children that are learning about the Romans, I get to see the many reactions. Often an expression of nervousness is displayed. For many, the Romans mean fear.

For many under Roman rule, occupation was a good thing. People went from bathing in lakes to bathing in spectacular bath houses. The intricate design of these buildings defined excellence and superiority. Some people went from living in simple round houses, to beautifully decorated villas. Some British kings even ended up living in palaces, as suspected at Fishbourne Palace.  

Initially, Roman invasions were exceedingly brutal. But once a country was conquered, occupation was fair, unlike the Normans. One effective technique was to keep native kings in their position. Let them rule, but rule for the Romans. The Romans weren’t interested in inhabiting countries to rule. What country could be more enticing than Rome? What they wanted were resources and taxes. Ruling could be left to the people that had always ruled, under various conditions (native Britons were no longer permitted to have weapons under Roman Rule. The explanation was that Rome would now defend them. The actual reason was to prevent uprisings).

In a nutshell, the Romans made people want to become Roman. In most countries they conquered, it didn’t take long for the inhabitants to start acting and dressing like Romans. Far from pillaging and plundering, Rome divided the people, conquered, and Romanized

A reconstruction of the Sparsholt villa at Butser Ancient Farm.