Roman Britain: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Salway Peter

Author:Salway, Peter [Salway, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780198712169
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2015-04-17T21:00:00+00:00

Map 7. The changing general arrangement of provinces down to the early 4th century (details uncertain, particularly for the 4th century).

The planned conquest of Scotland was called off—but only after substantial successes—owing to the death of the emperor and the pressures on his successor. Security of the frontier was, however, accomplished. Britain as a whole shows every sign of having escaped the disasters of the age elsewhere. There was a slowing of new development, but the towns remained active. In particular the provision of walls expanded, probably less because of any perceived imminent threat than a switch in the means by which competing local aristocrats displayed their munificence. One may suspect that the provision of the other categories of public buildings over the previous century meant that they were running out of projects to sponsor. There may have been rather fewer villas overall, but—particularly in the later 3rd century—considerable numbers display substantial upgrading. That fact may reflect a general movement in the land economy towards fewer but larger holdings, with wealth increasingly concentrated in the hands of a smaller number of families. On the wider stage of the empire at large the presence of a class of super-rich—including individuals with properties in more than one province—is certainly a major feature of Late Roman society, and in these villas we may be seeing a reflection of this general trend. Industry, if pottery is an indication, benefited from the problems of its rivals on the Continent. A sharp reduction in the import of fine wares used to be seen as a sign of decline, but one might argue that self-sufficiency within provinces was a good as far as the provincials were concerned, It certainly indicated that local producers could compete, whether the principal reason was disruption abroad or ability at home to take advantage of lower transport costs to offer lower prices. Some public works that might have been expected were not undertaken: restoration in the Fenlands after severe flooding, for example (though even there a trend towards fewer but larger occupation sites is detectable). But the external defences of Britain continued to be refurbished, and new forts built on the south and east coast, at Brancaster and Reculver, probably for purposes of political control of the routes to the Continent and not yet indicative of an acute threat from sea-borne barbarians. In Gaul, AD 260 saw yet more trouble from the Germans—not yet by any means the worst—and the central government in Rome lost control for some years. Germany, Gaul, Spain, and Britain adhered to an independent emperor, comprising together the ‘Empire of the Gallic Provinces’ (imperium Galliarum). This grouping had been foreshadowed under Clodius Albinus and re-emerged later as a structural part of the restored empire. For the time being, however, possession of peaceful, prosperous Britain with its powerful and undamaged forces and its almost legendary propaganda value must have been a considerable comfort to the Gallic emperors.

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