This course of three lectures explains the reasons why the Romans undertook the annexation in '43. It begins with an account of the conquest of Britain and Wales and answers the often asked question of why they went no further North than Hadrian's Wall. It then looks both at how the province was administered and how its economy functioned. How did the one reflect the other? How did the Celtic Iron Age tribes adapt to Roman rule? Finally it examines why Roman rule came to an end in 410. The course has an emphasis on comparing the past to the present. What lessons can we learn today regarding Britain's relations with Europe, and reconciliation with an indigenous population, questions which are bound up with the origins of our heritage? The key role played by personalities such as Caractacus, Boadicea and Agricola are also examined.