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Roman Britain
THE ROMAN CONQUEST OF Britain was initiated by the emperor Claudius 1,950 years ago in AD 43. It took many decades, but eventually the northern frontier of the new province settled upon the line of the great wall built in the 120s between the Solway and Tyne rivers at the behest of the emperor Hadrian. Within the new province, the Romans encouraged the development of towns, many of which still exist, and laid out a comprehensive network of roads, from which much of our modern network has developed. They also introduced many divinities, who were frequently merged with local gods and goddesses. In AD 313, the emperor Constantine made Christianity the empire's official religion. Many proclaimed their adherence like a villa owner at Hinton St Mary (Dorset), who had a mosaic floor with the head of Christ at the centre. Britain was finally severed from Rome in AD 410, but the legacy still lives on today.
CLAUDIUS Head of the emperor, who ruled from AD 41 to AD 54, depicted on a gold aureus coin, one of thirty-seven buried at Bredgar, Kent. This hoard, which amounts to more than four years' pay for a legionary, may have been concealed by a soldier on the eve of battle.
HADRIAN Bronze head from a statue of the emperor, who ruled from AD 117 to AD 138, found in the River Thames by London Bridge in 1834. It may have been set up to mark his visit to Britain in AD 122 and probably graced one of Londinium's elegant public buildings.
ROMA Head of the goddess exquisitely carved on a cornelian gemstone dating from the second century. The gem was lost from a ring by a soldier while in the baths of the legionary fortress at Caerleon (Roman Isca) in south-eastern Wales.
CHRIST Head of Christ on a fourth-century mosaic from a Roman villa at Hinton St Mary, Dorset. The identification is based on the Greek letters chi and rho, the first letters of Christ's name, behind the head, making it probably the earliest known representation of Christ.
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Technical Details
Number of stamps: four
Date of issue: 15 June 1993
Design: John Gibbs
Printer: Harrison & Sons Limited, UK
Process: photogravure
Stamp designs © Royal Mail, 1993
Format: horizontal
Size: 37 mm × 35 mm
Perforations: 14½ × 14
Number per sheet: 100
Paper: unwatermarked, phosphor-coated, overprinted with two phosphor bars
Gum: PVA Dextrin
Cover design: Dick Davis
Text: Dr T. W. Potter
Acknowledgements: STAMPS Heads of Claudius, Hadrian and Christ, by courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum, London; Roma gemstone at the Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, by permission of the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff; FIRST DAY COVER Mosaic painting by Dr David S. Neal.
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