HA Short course: Britain and the Romans

Description

Julius Caesar may have “came, seen, and conquered” Britain two millennia ago, but what were the lasting legacies of Roman rule — and what difference did their centuries-long presence truly make?

In this course, we’ll explore the Romans who first arrived and made Britain their home, as well as those who wrote about it from the comfort of Rome. What was Roman society like across the Empire, and how did Roman rule leave its mark on this distant land — described as “a place at the end of the world, too cold, too wet, and full of barbarians”? Finally, as the Empire physically contracted, what continued to be the lasting presence of Roman history, ideas and leadership in Britain?

In this spring short course we will draw together some of the UK’s leading scholars on Roman and Classical history to address, challenge and inform us about Britain and the Romans.

Starting in February and running through until the end of April the course will feature a series of live sessions with support materials and recordings available through the HA website.

Sessions include:

Further sessions will be announced covering a range of topics, including Professor Richard Hingley discussing the experiences of a Greek traveller in Britain in AD 83. Sign up today to be the first to know once these are available.

All sessions will take place from 7.30-9.00pm via Zoom. Once your booking is verified you will automatically be added to all Zoom sessions and receive joining links direct from Zoom the day before the session as well as a reminder the hour before. Registering for the course confirms your permission to receive updates and joining instructions from Zoom.

This course is free to all HA members, and available for a charge to non-members. Access to the course will be via the HA website once your booking is verified. You will be contacted via email once this is complete.

For the first session joining instructions and access to the resource module will be sent on Monday 23 February 2026. For subsequent sessions joining instructions will be received directly from Zoom the day before the session is due to take place and a reminder will be sent the hour before the start.

Bookings received after 1pm on the day of a session will be processed the following day. A recording will be available of any sessions a week after they take place on the accompanying resource module.

Further information can be found on our course page here.