488 EARLY MAN IN BRITAIN. [CHAP. xiv. 



from Scandinavia by the same route as the Norwegians 

 in later times found their way into Caithness, setting 

 sail from Thule, and making for the Orkneys. The 

 Belgic Gauls also had crossed over from the opposite 

 coasts of France, and had taken possession of the 

 southern counties. They are not to be distinguished by 

 any physical character from the Celtic peoples. 



Roman Britain. 



The Koman civilisation rapidly followed the Eomaii 

 arms into Britain, and, although felt but to a slight 

 degree between the invasion of Julius Caesar and the 

 conquest under Claudius, was carried by the policy of 

 Suetonius and Agricola as far west as the Atlantic, and 

 as far north as the Highlands of Scotland. The military 

 occupation of the country led to the springing up of 

 new towns, such as Chester, round the Eoman camps, 

 and the country was opened up by roads similar in 

 their effects to the railways of the nineteenth century. 

 Many of these are still in use. The strong central power 

 which put an end to the rivalry between petty chieftains 

 turned the attention of the people from war to agriculture, 

 and Britain became one of the most important grain- 

 producing countries in the Eoman Empire. 



The morasses were drained, forests cut down, and 

 large tracts of land at the mouths of the rivers re- 

 claimed from the tidal waters by the embankments 

 which still do their work. The mineral wealth of 

 the country was eagerly sought, not only the tin of 

 Cornwall, or the iron of the Weald of Sussex, of the 

 forest of Dean, and of the northern counties, but the 

 gold and the copper of Wales, the lead of Derbyshire 



