Slavery was the first and most inhumane form of exploitation. Slaveholders appropriated almost everything and traded with the warriors, and the Romans went hunting in the area north of the wall.
Roman influence grew in Britain. As a result of the conquest, signs of Roman civilization spread throughout Britain. Before the Roman conquest of Britain, there were no cities in Britain. The civilized Romans were urban dwellers, and as soon as they conquered Britain, they began to build cities, magnificent villas, public baths, like in Rome itself. York, Gloucester, Lincoln, and London became the main Roman cities; there were also about fifty other smaller cities. London, which had been a small trading settlement before the conquest, now became a center of trade both by road and by river. Colchester, Gloucester, York and Lincoln sprang up around Roman military camps, the city of Bath became famous for its hot springs.
Cities have grown as markets and administrative centers. In most cities there were markets and many shops where merchants sold their goods. The houses were built of stone, plastered and painted, with roofs of large red tiles. Rich merchants and officials had luxurious houses with many rooms, with mosaic floors and central heating. Every Roman city had a drainage system and a good supply of clean water. Temples and public baths could be found in most cities. Roman cities were military bases surrounded by defensive walls, which were guarded by Roman soldiers.
The Romans were great road builders, and now a network of roads connected all parts of the country. One of the main roads was Watling Street, which led from Dover to London, then to Chester and to Wales. New towns and villages sprang up along the roads.
Huge tracts of forest were cleared, swamps drained, and cornfields appeared in their place. The province of Britain became one of the granaries of the Roman Empire.
There was constant trade with other parts of the empire. The main exports were corn, lead, tin and construction tiles. Goods were shipped in wagons along the roads of Britain, Gaul and Italy to Rome. Britain imported luxury goods, especially fine ceramics and metal products.
But along with the high civilization, the Romans brought exploitation and slavery to the British Isles. The rich Romans had villas outside the city with large estates, where gangs of slaves worked. Prisoners of war were sent to the slave market in the Roman Empire. The free Celts were not turned into slaves, but they had to pay high taxes to the conquerors and were forced to work for them. The Romans forced them to clear forests, drain swamps, build roads, bridges and walls for defense. This is how the famous Hadrian's Wall was built.