In Our Time

Roman Britain


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Romans in Britain. About 2000 years ago, Tacitus noted that “the climate is wretched”, Herodian said, “the atmosphere in the country is always gloomy”, Dio said “they live in tents unclothed and unshod, and share their women” and the historian Strabo said on no account should the Romans make it part of the Empire because it will never pay its way. But invade they did, and Britain became part of the Roman Empire for almost four hundred years.But what brought Romans to Britain and what made them stay? Did they prove the commentators wrong and make Britain amount to something in the Empire? Did the Romans come and go without much trace, or do those four centuries still colour our national life and character today?With Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University; Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University; Catharine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our TimeBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

5,080 ratings


More shows like In Our Time

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,583 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

300 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

522 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,057 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

296 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,219 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,874 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

864 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

609 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

731 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

275 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,115 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

477 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,793 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

233 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

361 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

232 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

329 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,187 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

3,298 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,526 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,875 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

2,060 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

69 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

834 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

523 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,477 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

621 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

331 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

255 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

65 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

76 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

2 Listeners