Last updated 19:24, Thursday, 07 February 2008

Julius Caesar first ordered a Roman invasion of Britain in 55BC, but left when the tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome.

A century later, Claudius sent troops back over the Channel and they remained from 43AD until 410AD.

While Hadrian’s Wall is reckoned to be the largest structure ever made by the Romans and one of the great legacies of the Roman Empire, (it stretches 80 Roman miles – 73 modern miles) it was not the only thing they left in Cumbria.

The county is home to a range of buildings and structures providing a revealing insight into the lives of our conquerors.

There are remains of forts, roads, villas and bath houses the length and breadth of Cumbria, not just along the Wall.

Ravenglass was an important naval base with a garrison of about 1,000 soldiers.

Little is left of the fort, but the bath house remains are well-preserved and are one of the largest surviving Roman constructions in England.

A road from Ravenglass ran through Hardknott Pass, where there are also the remains of a fort and the foundations of a commandant’s house, barracks, bath house and parade ground.

Maryport’s Senhouse Roman Museum has an internationally important collection of altar stones from the period.

Channel 4’s Time Team discovered a bronze mirror in the grounds of a former Roman fort at Papcastle, near Cockermouth and an excavation in Carlisle discovered a soldier’s comb, fully intact and with a 3mm louse attached.