What Can Villas Tell Us About Roman Britain in General and the 4th Century in Particular?

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What can villas tell us about Roman Britain in general and the 4th century in particular? During the Second and Third centuries of Roman Britain, the invaded island became home to many new Roman villas. The Romans made little effort to adapt to the architectural traditions of Britain at the time and imposed there own mediterranean style upon new, technologically advanced country estates, home of the Romanised British elite. Villas from this time don’t just tell us about the life of luxury for wealthy people of that time, they tell us much about Roman Britain in general, and in particular the 4th century; where we saw a peak in the number of villas and and there complexity. Firstly, the villas show us a lot about what it was to be a wealthy, civilized Roman; the rich lead a life of luxury. Some of the villas were more advanced than the tudor mansions that came hundreds of years later, featuring mosaic floors, swimming pools and Hypocaust heating systems, which could pump hot air through the gaps under the floors, up the vents and into the roof. The lavish decoration extended out of the home and into the gardens too, as the wealthy Romans wanted a garden for pleasure, just like many people do today. Perhaps more than anything else, what symbolized good living for the romans was bathing, it wasn't just about washing, it was more about a way of life, in bath houses they could meet friends, do business and relax. The villas also tell us that amongst the elite at the time, like people today, there was an interest in ‘identity’. The mosaics show a clear ‘Roman’ identity, and People’s homes were used as a symbol of status, many hoping to impress with the display of highly decorated (and unusable) precious metal, which can be learnt from the hoards of silver plate deposited in the fourth and fifth century. Roman Villas also helps us to understand the social

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