From a bustling port to a 160-mile 'motorway': Amazing digital reconstructions bring forgotten Roman Britain to life



The CGI images have been produced to give historians a clear understanding about what settlements in Roman Britain looked like



Dr Michael Scott, an assistant professor of Ancient History from Warwick University, used his expert knowledge to inform the creation of the pictures

An image of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum in Hampshire, paints a picture of a wealthy and busy settlement

A professor has teamed up with digital artists to create striking pictures of how Roman Britain would have looked 2,000 years ago.



The CGI images include a Roman ‘motorway’ stretching from Exeter to London, a forgotten port and luxurious-looking barracks for the occupying forces.



Another image of the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, located in Hampshire, has been produced that paints a picture of a wealthy and bustling settlement.



This CGI image shows the bustling Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was near Silchester in Hampshire. It used to be a wealthy town with public baths, an amphitheatre and temples, but failed to develop into a modern city like Chichester and London

The images have been produced to give historians a clear understanding about what settlements in Roman Britain looked like at their peak and how the invasion affected British architecture and culture.

They form part of a new series on historical TV channel, Yesterday, which aims to bring Britain's lost Roman Civilisations to life.



Dr Michael Scott, an assistant professor of Ancient History at Warwick University, used his expert knowledge to inform the creation of the images and show how Britain would have looked during Roman occupation.

An image of a 160-mile road from Exeter to London, which was a 15 feet high and 85 feet wide, allowed vast numbers of Roman soldiers to march to and from London.



The road is believed to have been built 15ft above ground level to 'show off' the power of the Roman Empire to the conquered Brits.



The original road, which is one of the country's major Roman roads, was uncovered in 2011 after being found in Puddletown Forest in Dorset.



An image of a 160-mile road from Exeter to London, which was a 15 feet high and 85 feet wide, allowed vast numbers of Roman soldiers to march to and from London. The road above ground level to 'show off' the power of the Roman Empire to the conquered Brits

Another image shows a huge Roman port and military base in Caerleon, South-Wales, which was found in 2011.



It is just the second Roman port to be found in the UK after London and was known as Isca.



The port was the headquarters of the Second Augustan Legion - one of four legions who invaded Britain during the reign of Emperor Claudius.



It is located on the banks of the River Usk just north of the city of Newport and includes the main quay wall, as well as the landing stages and wharves where ships would have docked and unloaded their cargoes.



A third CGI image shows the bustling Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was near Silchester in Hampshire.



It used to be a wealthy town with public baths, an amphitheatre and temples, but failed to develop into a modern city like Chichester and London.



The final image in the collection shows Healam Bridge in Yorkshire, which was a garrison base and the centre of Roman industry.



This image shows a huge Roman port and military base in Caerleon, South-Wales, which was found in 2011. It is just the second Roman port to be found in the UK after London and was known as Isca

A Roman fort in the area was excavated in 2009 by a team of archaeologists as part of a £318million Highways Agency scheme to upgrade the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire.



The fort and its surroundings were a hive of light industry, including a water-powered flour mill used to grind grain and produce food for the soldiers and is believed to have been extremely important, supplying those travelling north on the Roman road that the A1 eventually replaced.



Dr Scott said: ‘The sites I examined for this project are fascinating locations for different reasons.



‘Some because they were small cogs in the machine that was Roman Britain and others because they were the very arteries and muscles that made Roman Britain possible.



‘It is thanks to the different devoted teams of archaeologists that have worked - and continue to work - on these sites that they have not been lost to history forever.’



Healam Bridge in Yorkshire was a garrison base and the centre of Roman industry. A Roman fort in the area was excavated in 2009 by a team of archaeologists as part of a £318million Highways Agency scheme to upgrade the A1 between Dishforth and Leeming in North Yorkshire

Adrian Wills, General Manager of historical TV channel, Yesterday, said: ‘The brand new series of RAIDERS OF THE LOST PAST focuses on the adventurers and archaeologists who put everything on the line to find lost cities, civilisations and treasure.



‘This amazing collection of pictures captures life in some of the most important and significant Roman sites in Britain, which were lost for thousands of years.



‘Thanks to the dedication and hard work of recent archaeologists, we now have a clear understanding of what each of these settlements were once like and how the Roman invasion of Britain affected our culture, architecture and even the way we think.’

