0:00:20 > 0:00:23- Who were the Romans? - Why did they come to Britain?
0:00:23 > 0:00:27- Did they have a big empire? - Were they powerful?
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Is anybody sitting there?
0:00:31 > 0:00:34No, go ahead.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Where are you off to?
0:00:39 > 0:00:4121st century.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Ah. So am I.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Maybe you could tag along with me, Romulus the Roman,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50master trader and good bloke.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54- Call me Rom. Most people do. - I might've known!
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Another Roman trying to take over.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Huh! Colin the Celt,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02brave warrior and nobody's fool.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06AND may I remind you, I was here first.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11- Yeah, I know. I wasn't trying to muscle in...- That makes a change.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13That's what you Romans usually do.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17That's what you did when you invaded Britain.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Oh, come on! We did a lot of good, too.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25We brought order and discipline and smartened things up
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and...some of you needed smartening up.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Well, I don't need anything from you today.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And I'm going to 21st-century Britain
0:01:35 > 0:01:40- by myself.- Hah! Dressed like that?! All that muck on your face!
0:01:40 > 0:01:43You'll frighten people.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Muck?! It's not muck, it's war paint.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And frightening people's the point!
0:01:49 > 0:01:51We scared off you Romans a few times.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Yes, well, it's not working now, is it?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Close up, it just looks silly.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59On your own,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02you're not so scary either.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11What are you going to the 21st century for?
0:02:11 > 0:02:14See if there are still signs of us Celts.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19You'll be lucky. There'll be far more signs of us Romans.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23- How do you know? - Come with me and find out.- See?!
0:02:23 > 0:02:27I KNEW you'd try and take over. Cor!
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Next stop - 21st century. Mind the time gap.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Where have you brought me? Doesn't look very Celtic.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It's not. We're in the modern port of Dover,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44known in Roman times as Dubris.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48We'll start in the south of Britain where we Romans first landed.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52But why haven't we arrived somewhere Celtic?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54We Celts were in Britain before you!
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I know. Like I keep saying,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01it's very difficult to find signs of you Celts.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Might as well stick with me, see some Roman sites instead...
0:03:05 > 0:03:08like that fantastic lighthouse.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Called a pharos in Roman times,
0:03:10 > 0:03:15it's the tallest remaining Roman building in 21C Britain.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- I thought we'd start with something impressive.- Seen better days.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It's 2,000 years old is that!
0:03:22 > 0:03:26There were two of them in Roman times. They had to be tall
0:03:26 > 0:03:30so sailors could see the flames burning on the top. On a clear day,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33you could see France from here.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Known as Gaul in those days. - Yes, Colin, it was.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Well done! Now...
0:03:39 > 0:03:43this was a magnificent spot for our pharos, and generations after us
0:03:43 > 0:03:46built an entire castle around it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Dover was a great port.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It was full of hustle and bustle,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and it still is.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58We knew a good spot when we saw one.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- Except for Julius Caesar. - Yeah... What do you mean?
0:04:02 > 0:04:08Well, he came to Britain in 55BC and totally missed Dover!
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Perhaps his eyesight wasn't so good in those days.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16I...I beg your pardon?! How dare you
0:04:16 > 0:04:18criticise the great Caesar?!
0:04:18 > 0:04:21He was brave and clever and strong
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- and talented...- And not good at finding a parking space!
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Come on!
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Hey... Colin!
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- Who was Julius Caesar? - Why did he come to Britain?
0:04:32 > 0:04:38Look! This is where Julius Caesar landed.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42On this stony beach at Walmer in Kent, about five miles from Dover.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Don't believe you. How do you know?
0:04:45 > 0:04:49I know because we Celts weren't too far away.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53We were warned he was coming by the Celtic tribes we knew in Gaul,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57so we covered ourselves in war paint and waited for him.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Oh, we looked pretty fierce.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Well, you didn't frighten him away.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Not at first.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11But we were brave enough to take him on,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and he had 10,000 men and 500 cavalry.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- The storms finished him off. - The storms finished him off!
0:05:18 > 0:05:23- Caesar wouldn't be bothered by bad weather.- Maybe not as a rule,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27but he was when his ships stuck in this shingle.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31You see, Caesar and his army didn't land at a proper harbour
0:05:31 > 0:05:36so, in the storms, his ships weren't protected and got damaged.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40- That's why he hurried back to Gaul. - Probably had business to attend to.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Well, whatever his reason, it was good news for us Celts.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48You Romans stayed out of Britain longer.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52I don't really know why you wanted to come here in the first place.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57- You already had a huge empire. - We had lots of reasons.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Like what?
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Like...
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I'll show you.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08From the 8th century BC,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11the Roman empire began to grow.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16By 55BC, Julius Caesar had gone as far as conquering France,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19but he wanted to go further.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22He believed Britain had lots of minerals
0:06:22 > 0:06:25like iron, silver and gold,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28which would increase the wealth of the empire
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and add to his glory back in Rome.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33After landing in Britain,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38Caesar soon fled when his ships got damaged in a storm.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43He came back a year later, in 54BC, with an even bigger army.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46He fought the Britons and moved further inland,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50then decided to go back to France, and never returned.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54In 43AD, the Romans invaded Britain again,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58this time following orders from Emperor Claudius.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01We were always quick to spot something worth having.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Like that gadget?
0:07:03 > 0:07:08We'd have invented this eventually. We were quick off the mark.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Not about coming back to Britain, though.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- I reckon you were more scared of us Celts than you let on.- Huh!
0:07:15 > 0:07:18You were always fighting each other!
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- You needed us to sort you out. - So why didn't you come sooner?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Biding our time.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Fancy taking 100 years to find a new parking space!
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Yes! And what a good parking space it proved to be! Come on.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I'll show you.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44- Where did the Romans land in 43AD? - How come they were able to settle this time?
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Look. Another Roman site in the 21st century.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53There's not much left. It's all falling down.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55What's it supposed to be anyway?
0:07:55 > 0:07:59It's Richborough, known in Roman times as Rutupiae.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It started off as a fort and an army base,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06but it soon grew to a successful town and port.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Once we'd landed, there was no going back.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- More's the pity.- What did you say?
0:08:11 > 0:08:13I said, "Great city!"
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- It is.- Yeah. - There are only traces now,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19but it had a sheltered harbour
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and it was easy to sail to from France and...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26We came, we saw, we conquered!
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- And you lot just weren't ready for us!- Hey!
0:08:30 > 0:08:32We put up a fight when we could.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36And we thrashed you every time. Hah!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Britain was ours for the taking.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Why didn't the Celts fight harder?
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- How do we know Romans fought well? - Where's the evidence?
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Richborough was next to the sea in Roman times.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56In 43AD,
0:08:56 > 0:08:5840,000 of us came here.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Landed right here. THEY never had any problems parking.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06They even brought with them elephants.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12- Elephants?- Yeah. You'd never seen elephants. You were scared to death!
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- How do you know?- It's in the writings of Dio Cassius.- Dio who?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- Dio Cassius.- And was he Roman(?)
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Of course.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24We Romans, we had lots of writers.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Dio Cassius was writing about the invasion of Britain
0:09:28 > 0:09:30under Emperor Claudius.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35That's how 21st-century people know about our army's talents.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- And your elephants.- Yes. Well, you just didn't stand a chance
0:09:40 > 0:09:43against our mighty legions.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Dio Cassius saw it all, did he?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Yes. ..No.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50He wrote about it 150 years later,
0:09:50 > 0:09:55and those stories were passed down through generations.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58They were told from a Roman point of view.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03You Celts couldn't record your own evidence! You couldn't write!
0:10:03 > 0:10:05No.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I suppose not. ..But we could definitely fight.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14And I don't believe we didn't put up a struggle against you lot,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16elephants or no elephants!
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Right, I think it's time we saw a Celtic site now.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26If you like.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29But, er, this is Watling Street
0:10:29 > 0:10:32which is Roman,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35so it'll probably lead somewhere Roman!
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I did tell you -
0:10:37 > 0:10:41there's not a lot of signs of you Celts in the 21st century.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46Yeah, and I don't believe you. In fact, I'll find out for myself.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50This is Butser Ancient Farm,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54a 30-year-old project researching the British Iron Age,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57the time of the Celts.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Here, people learn a lot about the Celts and the Celtic way of life.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Before the Romans came,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09we're looking at a very different sort of countryside
0:11:09 > 0:11:12covered in small settlements.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16It was made up of fields and woods and pastures.
0:11:16 > 0:11:22Think of a patchwork of different shades of green across the country.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27The Celts were a warrior-based society,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31but they were very, very good farmers,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and this led to an enormous amount of trade.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Life in a Celtic village revolved around the production of food.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44If they couldn't produce food, they starved. It's very seasonal work.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Even the building and maintenance of houses
0:11:48 > 0:11:50depended on the right time of year.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55During the summer, all effort was spent on looking after the crops.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Autumn was time to sort the animals out and decide which ones to keep.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And the winter was the time to cut the wood.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08There is little evidence of Celtic houses in modern times
0:12:08 > 0:12:13as they were built of wood and straw which rots away to nothing.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23At Butser, there are all sorts of activities.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26We learn about the differences
0:12:26 > 0:12:30between life lived under an empire, which is similar to today,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and life before the arrival of an empire.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39People lived a lot closer to the earth. They used natural materials
0:12:39 > 0:12:44to do all their building, and everything was based on farming.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Where have you brought me now? This doesn't look very Celtic.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50It doesn't look very Roman either.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55This is modern Colchester, known in Roman times as Camulodunum.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59When we arrived here in 43AD with Emperor Claudius,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01we'd succeeded in conquering Britain.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06- Shame you didn't stop here.- Oh, no. We had to capture ALL of Britain,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10fighting you lot, and building Roman settlements all over.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The Romans arrived at Richborough in 43AD.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19They fought their early battles near the River Medway in Kent
0:13:19 > 0:13:21and then marched into London.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Then they moved north of the River Thames
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and took their target city of Colchester.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32The victorious Romans continued to move across Britain
0:13:32 > 0:13:35building many towns...
0:13:40 > 0:13:43They also introduced taxes in these places,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45and sent the money raised to Rome.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Colchester became Britannia's capital city.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54If Colchester was so important to you Romans,
0:13:54 > 0:13:59how come there aren't many signs of you left in the 21st century?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03There are! They're just not all obvious.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08The roads still follow the same pattern they did in Roman times.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Some of the walls still exist.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14And you wouldn't have to dig very deep to find signs of us Romans.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- Why would you do that? - Because the past is often hidden
0:14:18 > 0:14:21beneath the present.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24No, Colchester was built in the Roman style,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26all the usual features.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Forum - Roman market place.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Basilica - government building.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Temple...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36How do you know that?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40It WAS Emperor Claudius's temple, wasn't it?
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Yes.- The one specially built to celebrate his victory?
0:14:44 > 0:14:49- Ye-es.- And the one destroyed by the Iceni tribe
0:14:49 > 0:14:52who, if I remember rightly...
0:14:52 > 0:14:55were Celts!
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Yes.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59But...they didn't destroy it all, though.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Didn't they?- No.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08- You can see signs of it there. - That's not a Roman building.- No.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11But the signs of us Romans can be found...
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Oh, UNDERNEATH!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- What happened to Roman Colchester? - Why was the temple destroyed?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23There you are - the foundations of the temple.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Those are 100% Roman.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Shame they're not 100% HERE.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Rom, remind me exactly what happened here in Colchester.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Surely we Celts didn't get the better
0:15:38 > 0:15:41of your "splendid Roman army"?
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Can't quite remember, to tell you the truth.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Can't you? Well, I think I may be able to.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I believe it had something to do with Boudicca,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56who, if my memory serves me well,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59wasn't only a Celt but a woman!
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Hey, and a very brave one, too!
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Boudicca?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Never heard of her.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Who's she when she's at home?
0:16:08 > 0:16:12I expect your gadget will be able to tell us.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Very well.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Boudicca was queen of Iceni tribe,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23a group of Celts who lived north of Colchester.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27When the Romans first conquered Britain, they left the Icenis alone
0:16:27 > 0:16:31but when Boudicca's husband died, everything changed.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33They took the Icenis' land,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37whipped Boudicca and attacked her daughters,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39forcing her to take revenge.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Boudicca led the Icenis in a raid on Colchester. They set fire
0:16:44 > 0:16:48to the city, and went on to burn down London and St Albans.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51At first, they didn't face much opposition,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55but the Romans soon put up an impressive fight
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and took charge again.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03Boudicca is said to have killed herself rather than be shamed by her Roman enemies.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Ah, Boudicca was a fine woman -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09brave, courageous,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- noble...- Beaten!
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Yes, all right, so you beat her in the end.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18But you took your time, though.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I suppose you've brought us to yet another Roman site.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Where are we now?- St Albans,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27the Roman city of Verulamium.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32- Their amphitheatre.- Well, I hope we haven't PAID for these seats!
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Not exactly ready for an audience.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40It's not bad considering how old it is. Use your imagination.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44CROWD CHEERS
0:17:45 > 0:17:48We Romans changed the face of Britain
0:17:48 > 0:17:51with all our wonderful buildings.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53We improved things no end.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57No, you didn't. We didn't NEED improving.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- We were happy with things the way they were.- You WOULD say that!
0:18:01 > 0:18:0621st-century people know what great things we brought to Britain.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Yes, and I've had enough of them,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- thank you.- We haven't finished yet!
0:18:12 > 0:18:17- Yes, well,- I- have. And I'm going back to my own time.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Now... where's that time travel express?
0:18:21 > 0:18:26I don't suppose it's disappeared back to Gaul, like Julius Caesar?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It'll be here, don't worry.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33It's probably just looking for a parking space.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Subtitles by Judith Simpson BBC Broadcast 2003
0:18:38 > 0:18:42E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk