THE NEW FRONTIER

Roman contact with Britain prior to conquest was a combination of trade and diplomacy. Knowledge of the British Isles extended back into the third millennium BCE thanks to the presence in the southwest of both tin and copper, essential for the making of bronze. Cornwall was one of the very few accessible sources of tin in Europe, so Cornish tin was essential for bronze production throughout western Europe.

In addition to these tin and copper resources found on the islands, Britain was also renowned as a