The Romans thought of Britannia as the edge of the known world, but the island had its own developed civilization before Romans arrived, with carpenters, farmers, metalworkers.

Celtic Mirror

A lot of inhabitants of Roman Britain lived in countryside. A typical farm had the resources for the basic needs of the farmer, his family and their slaves.

Round Houses, where ancient British people

lived

A British farmhouse was circular, with a single room, where everyone in the family lived, worked, slept and ate. There were no windows, so the central fire produced a lot of smoke in the house. Round Houses

(interior room), where people lived, worked, slept and ate. Neck

ornament made about 70 BC

But with the Roman invasion (I century AD), simple villas began to appear. They had only four or five rooms. The Britons wanted to imitate the lifestyle of the Romans. The Britons learnt the new building techniques from Gallics, so the ancient British villas are similar to Roman houses in The Gaul.

Reconstruction of a

roman villa in Kent,

Britain.

The farms had animals such as: pigs, sheep, goats, horses and dogs. These animals produced food, leather, and wool. Also fruits and vegetables grew (including some like cherries and peas) brought by the Romans. Romans brought the typical British Sheep too.

The tipycal british sheep

Cherries

Peas

Wheat

A large villa usually had a Roman landowner and some slaves who worked the land. Most of farm slaves were Britons, captured in the conquest ´s war.

Roman mosaic showing a slave boy

Vase of slave

  Slaves worked in the farm,

in the house (domestic slaves) and some were sent to work in the mines. It was the hardest job. Some slaves were kept in chains and lots of them died.

We also know more about British slaves, for example: two young slaves who died only ten years old. They were called Atilinus and Anti Atilinus, probably twins.

Slaves tend the hair of their mistress

Salvius was born in Italy (I century AD). He was an intelligent man. He became a lawyer and later he was a Roman senator. Salvius travelled to Britania to help Agricola, the Roman Governor of this province.

 Agricola was governor of Britain. He finished the conquest (77-84 BD) , He was very famous and important in Britain.

In Britain, Salvius and his wife Rufilla lived in an large villa near to the Sussex coast. Nowadays, we know that Salvius lived in Britain, because we have some pieces of information about him: his name and life are inscribed in a commemorative stone discovered in this century.

Thought Pensaban Edge El fin Known Conocido Carpenters Carpinteros Farmers Granjeros Metalworkers Trabajadores del metal Countryside Campo

Slaves Esclavos began appear Empezaron a aparecer Britons Británicos building techniques Técnicas de construcción Pigs Cerdos sheep Ovejas Goats Cabras Horses Caballos Sheep Ovejas

Grew Creció cherries Cerezas Peas Guisantes Became Se hizo, se volvió Roman Governor Gobernador romano Nowadays Actualmente