page_title: Historiography of Romanisation
section_title: Francis Haverfield
hierarchical_section_title: Historiography of Romanisation / 20th Century Perspectives / Francis Haverfield
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the Great Bath, part of the Roman Baths complex, a site of historical interest in the city of Bath, England. The baths, based on the local hot springs, were built during the Roman occupation of Britain and has become a major touristic site. Español: Vista del Gran Baño, perteneciente al complejo de Termas Romanas, un lugar de valor histórico en la ciudad de Bath, Inglaterra. Las termas, posibles gracias a fuentes de aguas calientes en la zona, se construyeron durante la ocupación romana en Bretaña y se han convertido en un importante centro turístico. Français&#160;: Le grand bassin des thermes romains de Bath, site historique de la ville de Bath dans le Somerset, en Angleterre, Royaume-Uni. Ces thermes, alimentés par des sources chaudes locales, datent de l'époque romaine et sont devenues un lieu touristique important. This is a photo of listed building number 1004678. Bosanski: Veliko kupatilo, dio kompleksa rimskih kupatila, mjesta od historijskog interesa u gradu Bath, Engleska. Kupatila su napravljena na lokalnim vrućim izvorima tokom rimskog osvajanja Britanije a postala su velika turistička atrakcija. Čeština: Pohled na část komplexu římských lázní ve městě Bath, jihovýchodní Anglie. Lázně byly založeny na místě vývěru zdejších horkých pramenů již během římské okupace Británie (období kolem let 40 - 80 n.l.) a staly se významným turistickým centrem. فارسی: View of the Great Bath, part of the Roman Baths complex, a site of historical interest in the city of Bath, England. The baths, based on the local hot springs, were built during the Roman occupation of Britain and has become a major touristic site. Magyar: A nagy fürdő látképe Bath város római fürdőkomplexumában, Angliában Italiano: Le Terme romane di Bath, costruite in epoca romana per sfruttare le fonti termali di Bath in Inghilterra. 한국어: 잉글랜드 바스 시의 역사적으로 흥미있는 장소, 로마 목욕탕에 속한 대목욕탕의 풍경. 지역의 온천에 기반을 둔 이 목욕탕은 브리타니아 시대에 지어졌으며, 주요 여행지가 되었다. Nederlands: Het Great Bath, dat deel uitmaakt van de Romeinse Baden in de Engelse stad Bath. Русский: Римские термы в Бате (Англия).
context_page_description: The historiography of Romanisation is the study of the methods, sources, techniques, and concepts used by historians when examining the process of Romanisation. The Romanisation process affected different regions differently, meaning that there is no singular definition for the concept, however it is generally defined as the spread of Roman civilisation and culture throughout Italy and the provinces as an indication of a historical process, such as acculturation, integration and assimilation. Generally, the Romanisation process affected language, economics, cultural structures, family norms and material culture. Rome introduced its culture mainly through conquest, colonisation, trade, and the resettlement of retired soldiers.
  Romanisation, as a term, was first coined in 1885 by Theodore Mommsen who held the imperial view that Roman culture was superior to provincial ones. The main viewpoints can be categorised into two groups. The traditionalist perspective sees Romanisation as representing the cultural transformation with evident Roman civilisation, cultural and political.
context_section_description: Many consider Francis Haverfield (1860–1919) the 'father of Romano-British studies' and as one of the first to study the process of Romanisation his perspective remained widely accepted for almost a century. He was the first to define the term 'Romanisation' with influence from Mommsen. Heavily influenced by Mommsen, who was his academic advisor, he held the view that the Roman provinces were “given a civilization” by the Romans, a very colonial perspective, and states that the Roman empire's "long and peaceable administration of dominions" gave its provinces "its gifts of civilisation, citizenship, and language." He believed that out of the "stable and coherent order" the Roman empire provided, modern Europe emerged. He perceived Roman Britain to be only a province in a global empire and should therefore be studied in its relation to Rome, stating that "It is no use to know about Roman Britain in particular, unless you also know about the Roman empire."
  He supported the traditional perspective of Romanisation where it falls under the acculturation theory in order to express the process of native cultures being replaced by the Roman culture with complete acculturation and homogenisation of cultures, with a linear transfer of values, opinions and practices.  His major focus on the elite in provincial societies meant that the larger amount of society was neglected and largely unincluded in his studies. His focus on the elite stems from his use of the classics and ancient historians, such as Tacitus, who held imperial perspectives. Haverfield argued that  Romanisation was a top-down process, meaning that once the elite of provincial societies had been romanised then those in the lower classes would also adopt Roman culture, dismissing the common assumption that they held their native culture at a dormant level.
  Additionally, he argues that Rome itself lost their cultural distinction through the Romanisation process as they too absorbed some aspects of provincial cultures. His main work on Romanisation is The Romanization of Roman Britain (1905).
caption: Roman Baths in Bath, England. An example of Romanisation in Britain.
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