Britannia: The Creation of a Roman Province

In the Late Iron Age two kings held dominion over much of Lowland Britain: Cunobelin and Verica. Just before AD 43 the rule of both of them ended - one died and the other fled - and Rome, under the Emperor Claudius, took the opportunity to invade. Within a few generations the ceremonial centers of these Iron Age kings had been transformed into the magnificence of Roman towns with their monumental public buildings. This book looks at the interface of these two worlds, Iron Age and Roman, to see how much each owed the other. Britannia: the creation of a Roman province offers a complete re-evaluation of both the evidence for and the interpretation of the rule of the kings of Late Iron Age Britain on the eve of the Roman conquest, and their long-lasting legacy in the creation of the Roman province of Britannia. Among topics considered are: The links between Iron Age kings of Britain and Rome before the Claudian conquest The creation of the towns of Roman Britain The manydifferent natures of "Roman Identity" The long lasting influence of the kings on the development of the province The widely different ways that archaeologists have read the evidence

John Creighton is Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology at the University of Reading.