Changing Identities in a Changing Land: The Romanization of the British Landscape

This thesis will examine the changes in the landscape of Britain resulting from the Roman invasion in 43 CE and their effect on the identities of the native Britons. Romanization, as the process is commonly called, and evidence of these altered identities as seen in material culture have been well studied. However, the manifestations of this process in the landscape have been less well examined. Applying current theories in landscape archaeology, the Selsey peninsula oppidum of the Atrebates and two hillforts of the Durotriges, sites that have been well excavated and examined, will be the focus of this thesis. The post invasion uses of these areas will be studied, including the palace at Fishbourne. The two tribes had differing relationships with the Romans, leading the Romans to occupy and modify these landscapes in different ways. The varying strategies both led to changes in how the Britons related to the elite members of their society and the ways in which they moved through and experienced their surrounding landscape. These changes resulted in an identity that was neither purely Roman nor Briton but rather a combined identity of Romano-Britain