Roman Britain 43 AD Poster

Lovely Victorian era map of Britain at the time of the third Roman invasion of 43 AD, under Emperor Claudius. This map is of special significance. After 9 years of war against Britain, Caractacus, the leader of the Britons, was captured and dragged to Rome in chains, where he refused to surrender or to beg for his life or his freedom. It was during this invasion that the settlement Llyn-din, along the Thames, being difficult for Roman tongues to pronounce, was re-named London. The Britons, like their leader, refused to surrender or give up their fight and thus, it was decided by Rome that the powerful Druids were responsible for urging the Britons to continue to fight despite almost complete conquest and that the Druids must be crushed. The Druids, men, women and children alike were butchered and then burned in their own sacred fires, by the Romans, on the isle of Anglesy, just off the coast of Wales, to which they had retreated. This slaughter broke the spirit of the Britons, completed the Roman conquest and also ended Druidism as a major organized faith, forever. This vintage map illustration is from an antique 1887 history text book.