Royal Mail issued a set of special set of eight stamps which celebrates ancient Britain. The items show Roman artefacts and architecture across the country such as Dover Lighthouse, Bignor mosaic, Caerleon Amphitheatre, Ribchester helmet, Bridgeness distance slab, a Warrior god in Cambridgeshire, Gorgon’s head in Bath, and Hadrian’s Wall.
For almost 400 years, from 43 to 410 AD, much of mainland Britain was a province of the Roman Empire. When the Romans came they modernized Britain forever. They taught them about hygiene, about clean drinking water, a calendar, laws and legal system. They also introduced new infrastructure such as straight roads, central heating, aqueducts as well as concrete.
Royal Mail spokesperson Philip Parker said: “What did the Romans do for us?
“They gave us important new towns, a network of roads to link them, vast building works in stone, a new language and our calendar – they even named the country, ‘Britain’.
“These new stamps feature some of the most complete and striking Roman sites and objects which show their character and sophistication.”
The Weston Curator of Roman Britain and the British Museum Richard Hobbs said he hopes the eight sites and objects will “give a taste of life in Roman Britain” and encourage people to explore the period.
Mr Hobbs said: “The Ribchester helmet is not only one of the British Museum’s iconic items, but also one of our earliest acquisitions – it’s been in the national collection since 1796, when a hoard of Roman military equipment was discovered in Ribchester, Lancashire.
“The helmet, decorated with a scene of a battle between infantry and cavalry, was the most spectacular piece.”
