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The Roman language is still used today. How many different places can you think of that are named DANUM?

The Roman impact on Doncaster

Through the invasion of the Romans, the small village that was named Danum was extended into a town. The Romans had a pretty impressive impact overall. Prior to this settlement, the town did not officially exist.During the time of their rule, they built many roads so that people could travel further afield. As a result, villages such as Rossington could be built. One major Roman road that was built to connect York, Doncaster and Lincoln, can still be seen today and is now known as the A1! As a result of the changes that the Romans had made, Doncaster could establish its own trade and people that lived here could begin to earn more money by exporting their crafts and goods to further away.

Why did the Romans invade Doncaster?

The Romans used the River Don so that they could bring new goods and materials to the town of Doncaster. This enabled them to improve the infrastructure. New and stronger materials meant that they could also build new places such as baths and spas larger houses as well as potteries.The use of the River Don could have been for both protection for the fort as well as to create a trade flow for the growing population of the town and surrounding areas. For example, the location of the settlement was between two important castles in York and Lincoln.

Where did the Romans invade Doncaster?

Once the Romans found the River Don and followed it south, it led them to Doncaster or ‘Danum’ as the Romans named it. The name was given to the small town that was found because of the river, meaning ‘Danu’, which has been found in Welsh, Latin and Irish languages! They found a large, flat area which already had some Celtic families living in small, round houses made from mud as well as some small farms next to the river. In finding this location, the Romans decided to build a fort and claim the land for themselves to make use of the River Don.

When did the Romans settle in Doncaster?

In AD43, the Romans were sent by Emperor Claudius to invade and conquer Britain and this time they succeeded. They headed south, following the river and found Doncaster. The Romans decided to settle here between AD 50 and AD 70.

A potter moved specifically to Doncaster to improve his trade and excavations have found his work all over the country! He was called Sarius.