The community that lived at Earith was not isolated, but was linked to the wider world of the province of Britain and the huge Roman Empire.

While some people, objects and ideas did move around over long distances before the Roman conquest, most communication was face to face within the local community. Most of the things that people needed, such as food, pottery and tools, were made locally with only a few more exotic items brought in from outside. The Romans improved communications by building a network of roads across Britain. Canals were also built in the Fens. The improved transport links helped to change the ways that things were made and distributed. Pottery and other objects began to be mass-produced at large workshops, and transported across Britain. Goods were also imported from overseas, from other parts of the Empire. Trade became more 'commercial' than before, and began to make use of coins. Weights were used to measure out the goods being sold.

The Earith settlements may have produced grain and other farm produce for trade. The location of the settlements on the waterway system would have helped to encourage trade.

Roads and Canals

Good communications were important to keep the Roman Empire together. A network of well-made, straight roads was built across Britain soon after the conquest. This helped the army to move quickly when needed, and was also used by messengers on government business.

There were few main roads in the Fens around Earith, and boats would have been important for getting around. Water transport was more efficient anyway for moving heavy loads than using donkeys or oxen on roads and tracks.

The Earith settlements were close to the Roman canal called the Car Dyke, which was built by the mid second century AD. This ran along the edge of the fens, connecting the rivers Cam, Ouse, Nene and Welland. Some archaeologists think that the Car Dyke was originally dug for draining the Fens, but once built it would have provided a useful transport link.

Though the Earith settlements were not on a main road, a local road has been found running between the Camp Ground and Langdale Hale settlements. The road seems to end at the waters edge at Langdale Hale, where there may have been a dock for continuing the journey by boat along the Car Dyke canal.

Weights

When trading, correct measurement is important - no-one wants to get less than they paid for. Roman traders used scales to weigh out their goods.

These three weights are made of lead and were found at Langdale Hale. The two large weights would have been used with a type of scales known as a steelyard. This was a bar with a dish or hook hanging from one end, and notches marked along the other end. The goods to be weighed were put in the dish or on the hook, and a weight was hung from the other end of the bar. The weight was then moved along the bar until it balanced. The notch that the weight reached showed how much the goods weighed.

The other type of scales used is called a balance scale. A dish was hung from each end of the bar. The goods were put in one dish, and weights were added to the other dish until the two dishes balanced.

The units of measurement used in Roman times were different from the ones we use today. The 'Roman ounce' was equivalent to about 28g in modern units. Some of the small cone-shaped weights in the picture weigh about this much.

Coins

Coins were used by the Romans in various ways. They were particularly important for paying the soldiers of the army, and taxes were often collected in the form of coins. Coins were also used by the Romans in trade and for buying goods at markets.

In Britain, coins were not widely used at first under Roman rule, compared to other parts of the Empire. Much everyday trade probably did not use coins, especially in rural areas. People would have bartered for the things they needed instead. Only during the later Roman period did everyday trade become based on money.

Large numbers of Roman coins have been found in the excavations at Earith. Eighty-one were found at Langdale Hale and about two thousand at the Camp Ground. Most are made of bronze and were made on the Continent, though some were made in London. The coins often show the head of the emperor on one side. We can tell the date of the coin from which emperor is shown, or from other features of the design. For example, the coin at the top right of the picture was made in Lyon, southern France, between 330 and 335 AD. It shows 'Roma' - a woman representing the City of Rome - wearing a helmet. The other side of the coin shows Romulus and Remus being suckled by the wolf.

Imports

Many of the everyday things that people needed at Earith would have been made within the local community itself. Finds of animal bones and plant remains show that people were keeping livestock and growing crops to feed themselves. Some of the pottery they used was made in a local kiln nearby.

However, there were other things that people could not produce for themselves, and had to be got through trade. The finer pottery from Earith was made at workshops in other parts of Britain or on the Continent. Metal and stone objects mostly had to be brought from elsewhere, as these raw materials were not available nearby.

Exotic food and drink was also imported. Pieces of amphorae - large pottery jars used for transporting foods and liquids - show that olive oil and wine from the Mediterranean were reaching Earith. The people at Earith probably traded grain and other farm produce to get such things.

The picture shows a selection of pots from the Camp Ground, most of which were imported from outside the area. Several of the vessels come form the Nene Valley kilns near Peterborough, while others are from further afield.

The evidence from Langdale Hale suggests that a surplus of food was produced, which could be traded for other goods. The amount of grain that was harvested seems to be too large to be eaten just by the people that lived there. Great quantities of wheat and barley grains have been found on the site. There were also 60 'kiln flues' that were probably used for drying grain before it was processed. One circular building may have been a threshing floor, where the wheat grains were separated from the chaff. Also found were large numbers of 'querns' - millstones worked by hand, used to grind down the grain into flour (see pictures). This evidence together suggests that grain was grown and processed on a large scale for export.

Other goods were also produced at the Langdale Hale farm. One pit at the site contained the jaw and lower leg bones of 19 young sheep. These are the bones that are often left attached to a hide when an animal is skinned. This means that leather or fleeces were being made at the farm. Meanwhile, a 'cheese press' made of pottery shows that dairy products were made.