Weve managed to see, from the previous chapters, most of the aspects pertaining to the Roman

civilization in Britannia, considering economical, social, military aspects etc. But we cannot forget to
talk also about the human being as a member of the community, about the concepts of life and death,
about the important moments in each persons life and about the classes forming the new, romanized
society. Also, extremely important, we will look upon the difference between a man and a woman in
Roman Britain and between people of different rank, trying to show the fact that, through many ways,
Britannia was a province like all the others, from one corner of the Empire to another.
First of all, we need to understand the fact that the Roman society was dynamic, cosmopolitan
and polarized. The status of a person could raise and fall in the blink of an eye. For example, a wellrespected entrepreneur who was addicted to gambling and indebted over his means could easily fall into
slavery. Also, people all over the Empire could settle in any province whatsoever. For example, a
tradesman from Syria or Egypt could start a business even in the most remote corners of Britannia. And
last, but not least, the gap between the classes was sometimes, impossible to cross. Example: a random
Roman citizen could never dream of becoming a senator of Rome, a rank reserved only to the old,
aristocratic families.
In this kind of a society did the Britons wake up after the conquest, a more standardized and
complex one. From birth, kids were expected to attain to the Classical virtues and morals and follow a
Classical education, based on grammar, mathematics, literature, law, philosophy and rhetoric. But this
kind of education implied the knowledge of a crucial fact: Latin. Without Latin or, occasionally, Greek,
the natives of Britannia were destined to remain in a low state, without any hope of advancing.
After birth, growth and education, the next important step in a Romans life is marriage.
Marriage was a contract that, in some cases, placed the bride under the authority of the groom, becoming
his property. The purpose of marriage was procreation, combined with the development of the
patrimony. Girls were usually betrothed around the age of ten, and married not before the age of twelve.
On the contrary, men usually found a spouse after the age of twenty. After the marriage, the wife was
supposed to manage the house and take care of children, while the husband was supposed to provide the
economical means to sustain the family. So, we can see from here that the role of women was
minimized, adding the fact that an educated woman was not something usual in the Roman society. But
all these considerations did not apply to the Celtic society, where, for example, ancient historians
mention polygamy as a common practice.

After becoming an adult, the differences between a man and a woman became more obvious. The
political life was confined only for men; the women were not allowed to vote, or to participate in the
political life. The place where men spent much of the day was the forum; for women, it was their home.
These rules could not be broken.
This was the life of a freeman. But what about the life of a slave? Here, the rules change
drastically. A slave was not considered a person, but an object, which could be used, sold or disposed of
at will. Because of debts or enslavement after a military campaign, a slave had no rights. He was not
able to hold property or marry. He could be beaten or killed anytime. Even more, the institution of
slavery was a self-sustaining one, because the offspring resulted from a relationship between two slaves
remained a slave and, thus, property of the owner. But, besides these facts, the Roman Empire could not
have survived so much without slaves, whom held the weight of the Roman economy on their shoulders.
Being a slave did not mean that they could not be freed. A good slave could be freed by his
master by will, or he could buy his freedom. In desperate situations, when the safety of the state required
it, slaves could be enrolled in the army with the promise of freedom. After obtaining his freedom, a slave
would remain under the patronage of his old master, which would find him a wife. The offspring
resulted from a freedman and freedwoman became automatically a Roman citizen.
This is what, in a few words, life meant to the Romans, and this model was also implemented in
Britannia. But what about death and its significance? For the Romans, death was not something scary,
but something to be expected and desired, a chance to join the ancestors, a moment that was inevitable
and which needed to be embraced without fear. Of course, for the family of the deceased it was a
difficult moment, which required mourning and festivals in honour of the deceased. But the Romans
were used to this fact, considering that life expectancy was hardly higher than 40; a person older than 45
was already called seniores. Anyways, when death came, the deceased was very well treated, washed,
prepared and clothed in garments suitable to status.
Nevertheless, a separation from life and death was obvious, which is shown from the burial sites.
Since the 5th century B.C., cemeteries were located outside the sacred limits of the city, a fact that was
employing both religious and sanitary reasons. The dead have a life of their own, separated from dayto-day activities.
We could see in this chapter the life of an inhabitant of the Empire, a standard that was
implemented from Britannia to Egypt.