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Around 2,000 years ago, Britain was ruled by tribes of people called the Celts. But this was about to change. For around a century, the Roman army had been building an Empire across Europe. Now it was coming for Britain!In AD43, the full might of the Roman army landed on the beaches in Kent. Over the next year it battled inland, storming through hillforts and chopping down anyone who stood in their way.

The Romans wanted Britain's precious metals. However, they weren't just a destructive force - they built new forts, new settlements and roads. They spread their culture, language and laws.

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Gracie, Phoebe & Matilda                                  

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Gracie, Phoebe & Matilda                                  

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in AD410 the Roman Emperor Honorius sent a goodbye letter to the people of britain.he wrote"
fight bravely and defend your lives...you are on your own now". The city of rome was under attack and the empire was falling apart so the Romans had to leave to take of matters back home.                             After they left the country fell into chaos.Native tribes and foreign invaders battled each other for power. Many of the Roman towns in Britain crumbeld away as people went back to living in the countryside.

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By the end of the first century AD, Rome had most of southern Britain under its control. However, it was a different story in Scotland - this was a much wilder place. It was still controlled by fierce warrior tribes, who refused to bow to the Roman Empire.

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The Roman army was the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (to c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC – 395), and its medieval continuation the Eastern Roman Empire. It is thus a term that may span approximately 2,206 years (753 BC to 1453 AD), during which the Roman armed forces underwent numerous permutations in composition, organisation, equipment and tactics, while conserving a core of lasting traditions.

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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them. Over time, the people of Britain and the Romans mixed. The Britons began to live the Roman lifestyle and the Romans took on local customs.

The Romans built new towns. These were often protected by walls and there was everything a citizen of Roman Britain would need inside - houses, shops, meeting spaces, workshops, temples and bathhouses.

They also built grand country houses called 'villas'. These had many rooms, some with beautifully painted walls, mosaic floors and even central heating.

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By the end of the first century AD, Rome had most of southern Britain under its control. However, it was a different story in Scotland - this was a much wilder place. It was still controlled by fierce warrior tribes, who refused to bow to the Roman Empire.

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In AD410, the Roman Emperor Honorius sent a goodbye letter to the people of Britain. He wrote, “fight bravely and defend your lives...you are on your own now”. The city of Rome was under attack and the empire was falling apart, so the Romans had to leave to take care of matters back home.

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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them .

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When the Romans arrived in AD43, they introduced new ideas and ways of living to Britain.

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In AD43, the full might of the Roman army landed on the beaches in Kent. Over the next year it battled inland, storming through hillforts and chopping down anyone who stood in their way.

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The Romans introduced the idea of living in big towns and cities. Roman towns were laid out in a grid. Streets criss-crossed the town to form blocks called ‘insulae’. In the middle was the ‘forum’, a big market square where people came to trade.

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By the end of the first century AD, Rome had most of southern Britain under its control. However, it was a different story in Scotland - this was a much wilder place. It was still controlled by fierce warrior tribes, who refused to bow to the Roman Empire.

Scotland had valuable natural resources, like lead, silver and gold. The Romans could also get rich by charging the people they conquered taxes and forcing them to become slaves. But the tribes weren't about to give up their lands without a fight.

The Romans came for ‘the glory of Rome’ too. They wanted to conquer new lands and make their empire even bigger and better.

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How was Britain changed by the Romans? Learn about their legacy in this BBC Bitesize year 5/6 primary history guide.

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In AD410, the Roman Emperor Honorius sent a goodbye letter to the people of Britain. He wrote, “fight bravely and defend your lives...you are on your own now”. The city of Rome was under attack and the empire was falling apart, so the Romans had to leave to take care of matters back home.

After they left, the country fell into chaos. Native tribes and foreign invaders battled each other for power. Many of the Roman towns in Britain crumbled away as people went back to living in the countryside.

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Some Roman roads have been converted into motorways and main roads we use today. You can still find a few places where the original Roman road is still visible, too.

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In AD410, the Roman Emperor Honorius sent a goodbye letter to the people of Britain. He wrote, “fight bravely and defend your lives...you are on your own now”. The city of Rome was under attack and the empire was falling apart, so the Romans had to leave to take care of matters back home.

After they left, the country fell into chaos. Native tribes and foreign invaders battled each other for power. Many of the Roman towns in Britain crumbled away as people went back to living in the countryside.

But even after they were gone, the Romans left their mark all over the country. They gave us new towns, plants, animals, a new religion and ways of reading and counting. Even the word ‘Britain’ came from the Romans.

When the Romans arrived in AD43, they introduced new ideas and ways of living

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When the Romans arrived in AD43, they introduced new ideas and ways of living to Britain. Watch the video to find out more.

Many of the Roman towns in Britain crumbled away as people went back to living in the countryside.

But even after they were gone, the Romans left their mark all over the country. They gave us new towns, plants, animals, a new religion and ways of reading and counting. Even the word ‘Britain’ came from the Romans.

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Most of Roman Britain was a wild place, with forests and mountains where few people lived.

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Stone-carved relief depicting the liberation of a besieged city by a relief force, with those defending the walls making a sortie (i.e. a sudden attack against a besieging enemy from within the besieged town); Western Roman Empire, early 5th Century AD

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At its largest, there might have been around half a million soldiers in the Roman army! To keep such a large number of men in order, it was divided up into groups called ‘legions’. Each legion had between 4,000 and 6,000 soldiers.

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1. Legend has it that Rome was founded by Romulus, the son of a god, in 753 BC.

2. The Romans spoke Latin, a language that is the basis for other languages spoken today – even English!

3. Romans decorated floors and walls in mosaics, which were pictures made from small pieces of coloured tiles.

4. The calendar that we use today was based on a system Julius Caesar established.

5. We have the Romans to thank for sanitation – they created aqueducts that kept water clean as it got to peoples’ homes.

6. As a way to relax and have fun, the Romans would to go the Colosseum to see plays and watch gladiator fights.

7. The Romans were so good at building roads that some Roman roads still exist today!

8. Romans wore togas, which were long pieces of cloth that they draped around their waist and shoulders.

9. Bath houses were used by everyone to take a bath, have a massage and chat to friends.

10. The Romans used different letters to represent numbers – we call these Roman numerals, and we still use them sometimes today.

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The ancient Romans were based in Rome in Italy, but they ruled over land that stretched far beyond the borders of Rome. This was called the Roman Empire, and it covered large parts of land all around the Mediterranean Sea – and even part of Great Britain.

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Britain had no proper roads before the Romans - there were just muddy tracks.

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Rome was a republic before it became an empire – it was governed in a different way, and had rulers that were elected through votes.

The Roman Empire began in 27 BC, and after that single emperors ruled, one after the other, until their deaths. The first emperor was Caesar Augustus.

Rome had a mix of very good emperors, like Augustus, and very bad emperors, like Nero.

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Rome was built near the Tiber River, which is the third longest river in Italy.

If you wanted to look your best in Rome, you’d need to wear a toga. A toga was a long piece of cloth that men would wrap around themselves. Underneath the toga, people just wore plain tunics.

The numbers that Romans used look very different from the numbers we use. They counted using a sort of code of letters – I stands for 1, II stands for 2 and III stands for three.

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The Romans had quite a story to explain how the city began. They said that the god Mars or Hercules had twin boys named Romulus and Remus, but that these boys were raised by a mummy wolf. When they were older, they wanted to create their own city but couldn’t agree where. They ended up fighting so badly that Romulus killed Remus, which meant that only Romulus went on to rule the city, which he named Rome (which sounds a bit like Romulus).

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1. Rome was a republic before it became an empire – it was governed in a different way, and had rulers that were elected through votes.

2. The Roman Empire began in 27 BC, and after that single emperors ruled, one after the other, until their deaths. The first emperor was Caesar Augustus.

3. Rome had a mix of very good emperors, like Augustus, and very bad emperors, like Nero.

4. The first 200 years of Roman Empire is called the Pax Romana, which means ‘Roman peace’. It was a time of great prosperity for the Romans.

5. The Romans had already won a lot of land through battles when Rome was a Republic. One famous military commander was Julius Caesar.

6. Roman armies were known for being excellent in battle – they used their weapons well, they worked well as a team and they nearly always defeated their enemies.

7. The Romans invaded Britain and started ruling it in 43 AD.

8. When the Romans were in Britain, they based themselves in London, which they called Londinium.

9. The Romans left Britain in 410 AD because the armies were needed to defend other parts of the Empire. The Anglo-Saxons were the next people to rule England.

10. The Roman Empire lasted for a long time. It split into two parts in 285 AD, with the Western Empire ending in 476 and the Eastern Empire being overthrown in 1453.

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Rome was founded in 753BC by its first king, Romulus. It grew into a rich and powerful city during the next few hundred years.

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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them. Over time, the people of Britain and the Romans mixed. The Britons began to live the Roman lifestyle and the Romans took on local customs.

The Romans built new towns. These were often protected by walls.

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Only men could be in the Roman Army, no women were allowed. There were two main types of Roman soldiers: legionaries and auxiliaries.

The legionaries were the elite (very best) soldiers. A legionary had to be over 17 years old and a Roman citizen. Every new recruit had to be fighting fit - anyone who was weak or too short was rejected.

Legionaries signed up for at least 25 years' service. But if they survived their time, they were rewarded with a gift of land they could farm. Old soldiers often retired together in military towns, called ‘colonia’.

An auxiliary was a soldier who was not a Roman citizen. He was only paid a third of a legionary’s wage. Auxiliaries guarded forts and frontiers but also fought in battles, often in the front lines where it was the most dangerous.

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The central feature of the Roman army of the mid-Republic, or the Polybian army, was the manipular organization of its battle-line. Instead of a single, large mass (the phalanx) as in the Early Roman army, the Romans now drew up in three lines consisting of small units (maniples) of 120 men, arrayed in chessboard fashion, giving much greater tactical strength and flexibility. This structure was probably introduced in c. 300 BC during the Samnite Wars. Also probably dating from this period was the regular accompaniment of each legion by a non-citizen formation of roughly equal size, the ala, recruited from Rome's Italian allies, or socii. The latter were approximately 150 autonomous states which were bound by a treaty of perpetual military alliance with Rome. Their sole obligation was to supply to the Roman army, on demand, a number of fully equipped troops up to a specified maximum each year.

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Why did the Romans build walls?

The Romans didn't just go around building walls because they liked to. They did it to protect themselves from the unfriendly northern tribes.

Their attacks were costing the Romans time and money. So in AD122, the Emperor Hadrian ordered his soldiers to build a wall between Roman Britain and Caledonia. The Romans also built forts and stationed soldiers along the wall to keep watch and fend off any attacks.

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In the AD400s, towards the end of Roman rule, Britain was being attacked by the Picts and Scots from the north, and the Anglo-Saxons from the sea. The Romans had built forts along the coast to fight off the sea-raiders and Hadrian's wall defended the north.Things were changing, and in about AD410, the last Roman soldiers were ordered to leave.Britain no longer had the strong Roman army to defend it from the invaders. There were many battles between Anglo-Saxons and Britons. Over time, the Anglo-Saxons took control of most of Britain.

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Around 2,000 years ago, Britain was ruled by tribes of people called the Celts. But this was about to change. For around a century, the Roman army had been building an Empire across Europe. Now it was coming for Britain!

In AD43, the full might of the Roman army landed on the beaches in Kent. Over the next year it battled inland, storming through hillforts and chopping down anyone who stood in their way.

The Romans wanted Britain's precious metals. However, they weren't just a destructive force - they built new forts, new settlements and roads. They spread their culture, language and laws.

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Roman Emperor Honorius sent a goodbye letter to the people of Britain. He wrote, “fight bravely and defend your lives...you are on your own now”.

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Around 2,000 years ago, the city of Rome was at the centre of a huge empire that stretched from Scotland to Syria

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Some Anglo-Saxons were warriors who enjoyed fighting. They thought the Britons were weak and easy to beat without the Romans around.

Many Anglo-Saxons came peacefully, to find land to farm. Their homelands in Scandinavia often flooded so it was tough to grow enough food back there.

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A particularly troublesome tribe for the Romans were the Picts. ‘Picti’ means ‘painted ones’ in Latin, because the tribe were known for painting their bodies with tattoos.

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Every year on 17 March, millions of people across the world celebrate Saint Patrick – Ireland’s patron saint. But what do we really know about him?

Over the centuries Patrick has become an almost mythical character – meaning that a lot of what has been said and written about him is true, but some things have been made up or exaggerated.

Luckily Patrick, who was born into an Anglo-Roman family in western Britain, could read and write and so was able to pen his own autobiography. These writings, called Patrick's Confessio or Confession, can be used to build up a true picture of who he really was.

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The ancient Romans were based in Rome in Italy, but they ruled over land that stretched far beyond the borders of Rome. This was called the Roman Empire, and it covered large parts of land all around the Mediterranean Sea – and even part of Great Britain.

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After they left, the country fell into chaos.

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When the Romans came to Britain they brought their way of life with them. Over time, the people of Britain and the Romans mixed. The Britons began to live the Roman lifestyle and the Romans took on local customs.

The Romans built new towns. These were often protected by walls and there was everything a citizen of Roman Britain would need inside - houses, shops, meeting spaces, workshops, temples and bathhouses.

They also built grand country houses called 'villas'. These had many rooms, some with beautifully painted walls, mosaic floors and even central heating.

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How did Rome begin?

The Romans had a story about how their city began. According to legend, Rome was founded by twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of the god Mars

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We found out how we know the Romans invaded Scotland.

Some of the earliest evidence for the Romans in Scotland comes from the Gask Ridge. This earth-bank defence in Perthshire dates from around AD70. The Gask Ridge is about 20 miles (32 km) long. The Romans set up forts and watch towers along it.

Who was living in Scotland?In Roman times, there was no such country as Scotland. The area of Britain now known as Scotland was called ‘Caledonia’, and the people were known as the ‘Caledonians’.Back then, Caledonia was made up of groups of people or tribes. Some tribes were happy to get on peacefully with the Romans, but others fought back.In the summer of AD84 some Caledonian tribes joined forces and made a stand against the invading Roman army. The two sides fought at a place called Mons Graupius (the Grampian Mountains). The Romans were led by the Roman general Julius Agricola and the Caledonians were led by a fierce chief named Calgacus.The Caledonians had 30,000 warriors, about twice as many as the Romans. But the Romans were better organised and defeated the Caledonians. Even though Calgacus and his army had fled, the Caledonians returned many times to raid the Roman frontier.

A particularly troublesome tribe for the Romans were the Picts. ‘Picti’ means ‘painted ones’ in Latin, because the tribe were known for painting their bodies with tattoos.

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The Romans got this land mostly by fighting battles with other groups of people, like the Celts in Britain – when the Romans won, they’d get more territory to add to the Empire. This meant that Roman culture had a huge influence on other cultures, and it’s why finding Roman artefacts (like coins), and ruins of Roman walls and buildings (like Hadrian’s Wall) is so common in the British Isles today.

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Christianity arrived in Britain during the second century. At first only a few people became Christian. When Christianity started to get popular, the Romans banned it. Christians refused to worship the Roman emperor and anyone who was caught following the new religion could be whipped or even executed.

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The Romans left Britain in 410 AD because the armies were needed to defend other parts of the Empire. The Anglo-Saxons were the next people to rule England.

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Before the Romans came, very few people could read or write in Britain. Instead, information was usually passed from person to person by word of mouth.

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The Romans got this land mostly by fighting battles with other groups of people, like the Celts in Britain – when the Romans won, they’d get more territory to add to the Empire. This meant that Roman culture had a huge influence on other cultures, and it’s why finding Roman artefacts (like coins), and ruins of Roman walls and buildings (like Hadrian’s Wall) is so common in the British Isles today.

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Hannibal (247-183 BC) – Hannibal was a military leader from Carthage, who fought against the Romans in the Punic Wars. He is known for bringing an army of soldiers and elephants over the Pyrenees Mountains and the Alps into northern Italy, which at first was successful in fighting against Rome. The Roman military eventually worked out how to beat Hannibal’s army and won, but Hannibal’s tactics are still thought to be pretty impressive today.