To big an Island

[Ichon]

Not really, the population of Britain is estimated to be somewhere around 2-4 million people by 150BC, if you include Ireland, which historically has had about half the population of Britain you get a total of 3-6 million.
Compare this with the population of Roman Italy (everything south of the Po Valley) at the start of the 2nd Punic War (218BC) which was around 4 million.

My point being that the British Isle were not some sparsely populated backwater as most people think, 8 provinces is perfectly justifiable.

Britain reached a population of 3-4 million under Roman rule is widely accepted. I've not heard that was the level in 150 BC though. I thought that is more likely after 100 AD or at least 250 years later when most of Europe had also increased in population either with a warming period or under the pax romana or whatever it is attributed to.

Not sure I would buy that Britain achieved a population density equal to intensively agriculturalized Italy in 150 BC. Just curious what this is based on?

[vartan]

Not sure I would buy that Britain achieved a population density equal to intensively agriculturalized Italy in 150 BC. Just curious what this is based on?

"Intensively agriculturalized Italy" in 150 BCE would support a higher population than Britain. Why a density comparison? Drainage in Italy isn't the problem it is in Britain.

[bobbin]

Britain reached a population of 3-4 million under Roman rule is widely accepted. I've not heard that was the level in 150 BC though. I thought that is more likely after 100 AD or at least 250 years later when most of Europe had also increased in population either with a warming period or under the pax romana or whatever it is attributed to.

Not sure I would buy that Britain achieved a population density equal to intensively agriculturalized Italy in 150 BC. Just curious what this is based on?

Cunliffe gives an estimate of 2-4 million for 150 BC and 4-6 million for the height of the Roman era, this is based on the huge increase in the number of settlements being found which have pushed up the population estimates dramatically.

Also it isn't the same density, the 4 million figure for Roman Italy is from 218 BC, thats 68 years before so it would have grown during that time.
Roman Italy in 218 BC was also considerably smaller in area and ariable land than Britain, not to mention that it experienced more population loss due to war and disease that Britain would have.