How Did The Romans Influence British Culture

The land now known as Great Britain has had a long history of invasion that has shaped the culture of its people. The Romans in particular, through invasion and conquest, have largely affected the people of Britain. Romanisation, according to the Oxford classical dictionary can be defined as, "the process by which indigenous peoples incorporated into the empire acquired cultured attributes which made them appear as Romans (Hornblower, 1996)." The people of Britain, particularly in the south, were influenced through Romanisation; however if the Romans did not invade Britain there may be a greater sense of Celtic identity remaining.
The term Celts has been used to describe a variety of people throughout history. The Oxford Classical Dictionary describes Celts as a name used by ancient writers to discuss the population of people living north of the Mediterranean region, from Galicia in the west to Galatia in the east. The modern application of the term refers to the Welsh, the Scots, and the Irish. The Celts appeared in Great Britain some time between the eighth and seventh century AD. This group of people spoke a common Celtic language and had commonalities in their artistic traditions. The Celtic language manifests itself through inscriptions, quotations, and place names in these areas. There are still dialects of Celtic spoken in …show more content…
This lack of uniting factor made it easier for the Romans to conquer the land. Many believe that northern Britain was minimally affected by Romanisation. The Romans did not conquer the majority of northern Britain, and even within the sections they did have political control of very little trade or Romanisation took place. Northern Britain did not have land suitable for villas which was where a majority of the Romanisation showed