End of Roman Britain in the East
A one-day conference at the University of Nottingham
16 October 2010
In association with the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
The year 2010 marks 1600 years since the Emperor Honorius famously told the inhabitants of the provinces of Britannia to “look to your own defences”, a statement which is traditionally taken to mark the “end” of Roman Britain. While it is widely accepted that Roman Britain did not simply end overnight in AD 410, what actually occurred in Britain between the late Roman and post-Roman periods is still widely debated.
What was “Roman” Britain like in AD 410? What happened to the settlements of Britain and the rural landscape that supported them during the 5th century and what effects did migrating “barbarian” populations have on the political and cultural landscape of the province?
This one day conference is one of a series of regional events supported by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, which is celebrating its centenary in 2010. It will focus on the end of Roman Britain in the eastern parts of the province of Britannia (the present day East Midlands and East Anglia). These areas had responded in very different ways to Roman rule and equally responded in different ways to the end of Roman Britain.
They were also areas that saw early settlement by Anglo-Saxon migrants during the later 5th and 6th centuries. Focusing on recent archaeological discoveries, the conference will explore how this region responded to the end of Roman rule.
Topics covered will include the late Roman phases of the towns of Leicester and Lincoln, new data on the Roman-Saxon transition from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, the late Roman fens, rural change in the late Roman East Midlands, the changing environment of East Midlands and East Anglia at the end of the Roman period, and late Roman hoards in East Anglia.
The conference will take place in the University of Nottingham’s Portland Building (lecture theatre C11), with registration and coffee from 9.30 am in the Portland West Concourse lounge. Advance registration for the day costs £10.00 while registration on the day will cost £12. Registration includes tea and coffee.