New
New
Year 4

Towns in Roman Britain

I can describe how many Roman towns in Britain were designed.

New
New
Year 4

Towns in Roman Britain

I can describe how many Roman towns in Britain were designed.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The largest settlements built by the Celts were small hillforts.
  2. The Ancient Romans introduced towns, connected by roads across Britain.
  3. Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum) was Roman Britain's second largest town.
  4. Towns like Cirencester were designed in grids with the forum in the centre and some had aqueducts.
  5. Some big towns like Cirencester had amphitheatres which were used for public entertainment.

Keywords

  • Hillfort - a Celtic hillfort was built on top of a hill and surrounded by wooden fences for protection

  • Amphitheatre - an amphitheatre was a large arena that hosted public entertainment like gladiator fights

  • Forum - a forum was an important area in the middle of an Ancient Roman town where people would meet

  • Aqueduct - an aqueduct was a series of bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns

Common misconception

Pupils may think that all people in Roman Britain lived in Roman towns.

Make it clear to pupils that although many people came to the towns, Britain remained largely rural, with lots of small Celtic settlements.

Spend time drawing out the rich details of Senovara's story. Although she is not real, the description of Corinium is based on the archaeological record.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
The remains of Ancient Roman buildings have been found in ...
Correct answer: England
Correct answer: Scotland
Correct answer: Wales
Ireland
Q2.
Match the building material to where it was used in a Celtic roundhouse.
Correct Answer:wattle and daub,walls

walls

Correct Answer:thatch,roof

roof

Q3.
What sort of structure did the Emperor Hadrian order to be built across northern Britain?
Correct answer: a wall
a road
a villa
a temple
Q4.
Rich Romans built in the countryside.
mountains
towns
Correct answer: villas
Q5.
The Romans sometimes combined their own gods with Celtic ones, creating hybrids such as ...
Cernunnos.
Correct answer: Sulis Minerva.
Diana.
Zeus.
Jupiter.
Q6.
A hypocaust system was ...
a way to count sheep.
woven twigs and rods that have been covered in clay.
Correct answer: an Ancient Roman underfloor heating system.
a type of plant material, like straw.

6 Questions

Q1.
The largest settlements the Celts built were called ...
Correct Answer: hillforts, hill forts
Q2.
The Romans connected their towns with paved ...
Correct Answer: roads
Q3.
was Roman Britain's second largest town.
Colchester
London
Caerwent
Correct answer: Cirencester
Q4.
An amphitheatre was ...
surrounded by wooden fences for protection.
Correct answer: a large arena for public entertainment.
bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns.
an important meeting area in the middle of a town.
Q5.
Match the part of the town to the correct description.
Correct Answer:aqueduct ,series of bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns

series of bridges used to transport clean drinking water to towns

Correct Answer:amphitheatre ,large arena for public entertainment

large arena for public entertainment

Correct Answer:forum ,the most important meeting area in a town

the most important meeting area in a town

Q6.
The streets in Ancient Roman towns were in a pattern.
circle
Correct answer: grid
animal

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