The Roman Conquest
History of the Ages| Roman Times | Sites to Visit
The Isle of Wight: A strategic jewel, fought over by kings, eyed by queens, and coveted by just about anyone with a boat and a map. Royalty came here to brood, to hide, and sometimes to be hidden away. Even as history marched on, swords clashing and crowns toppling, the island kept its cool, nestled between the waves and the verdant land, like an old soul that knows all the secrets but won't spill a word.
Historical Places to visit on the Island:
THE ROMAN OCCUPATION
Even as history marched on, swords clashing and crowns toppling, the island kept its cool, nestled between the waves and the verdant land, like an old soul that knows all the secrets but won't spill a word.
Image Credit | Lison Zhao
The Stone Age? Oh, it left its calling cards—bits of flint, rough-hewn pottery, and leftovers from ancient feasts that now speak in whispers from beneath the soil. You can almost hear the crackle of fires long extinguished.
Then came the Bronze Age, with its love for a good funeral, building barrows on the hills like it was the latest architectural trend. These round mounds stand, grim and solemn, on the downs—monuments to time’s slow, relentless advance.
But wait, there's more! The Iron Age folk weren’t about to be outdone. They went big—hill forts, no less. Up on Chillerton Down, they built a fortress to stare down invaders and the odd storm rolling in from the Channel.
Their handiwork still lingers today in the form of scattered pottery, primitive relics of their defiance against time. And then, like some grand imperial finale, in strolled the Romans. Never ones to miss out on a good conquest, they planted their flag and raised their villas—grand, opulent affairs that screamed "we’ve arrived!" Villas where mosaics dazzled and bathhouses steamed, proving that even in an island outpost, luxury was never far behind.
*Read more stories on the Roman villas that were discovered on the island.
*Find out more on places to visit recommended by the National Trust.