ABSTRACT
Britain became part of the Roman Empire in AD 43, with the arrival of the emperor Claudius and the subsequent surrender of the British chiefs. The province of Britannia was set up and pacification was complete by about the end of the second century, by which time the major Romano-British towns were well established and Roman practices widely adopted. Yet this adoption of Roman ways did not start with the Occupation. Even before Julius Caesar’s campaigns of 55 and 54 BC, the attractions of Rome were known in Britain, mainly because of Roman advances in Gaul and Spain. In the following century, Roman imports and luxury goods, and native coins with Latin inscriptions or with designs which reflected those of the Graeco-Roman world became widespread; and, even if diplomatic influence waned along with the links set in place at the time of Caesar’s invasion, increased commercial contact showed that Britain was coming more into Rome’s sphere of influence. British entrepreneurs, leaders in their own societies, in turn provided Rome with various commodities.1
