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How did the main four British Roman Provinces work with each other?

• Message 1. 

  Posted by TheodericAur (U13724457) on Thursday, 26th March 2009

  Were they autonomous as their original formation was to prevent usurpers being created to challenge for the Empire. Britain certainly seems to have had its share of Roman Military Rebels.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by stanilic (U2347429) on Friday, 27th March 2009

  Imediately two references spring to mind.
  
  Guy de la Bedoyere's book `Defying Rome: The Rebels of Roman Britain' is a good reference point on this topic. He is a Latin scholar so there are some good insights in the book.
  
  However, Stuart Laycock's recently published work `Britannia: The Failed State' is particularly relevant to your question. He postulates that the tribal tensions that preceded the Roman settlement continued during the period of Roman dominion and triggered the eventual collapse of the Roman polity in Britain. He has a good argument although I remain unconvinced as yet.
  
  I am inclined to the view that the British never took to `Romanitas': it was too complicated to make sense so they did their own thing just making sure they rendered unto Caesar that which was Caesar's. On their side of the equation the Romans and their nominees behaved like Romans and squabbled over the spoils.

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  Posted by TheodericAur (U13724457) on Saturday, 28th March 2009

  Hi stanilac
  
  Many thanks for this.
  
  I have to admit I think that your interpretation of the lack of acceptance by the Brythons of the complete Roman way of life is likeley.
  
  I beleive that the upper classes most probably bought in to the Roman way of life and that generally people would have had no option but to go along with the Military and the Trade but I beleive that the Celts remained Celts underneath.
  
  There were onljy a certain amount of Roman Towns or centres of population - I think about 50 and if we average these at a population of 15,000 per connurbation we get a total of 750,000 urban individuals and 2,250,000 in the countryside where probably the Brython way of life thrived.
  
  To my way of thinking the military is another one of those key areas that we don't really understand. There just appears to be a huge military presence in Britain nearly all the time with troops arriving and being taken out at regular intervals which doesn't hold true with a settled province.
  
  Kind Regards - TA

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