Such numerical speculation therefore still begs the question: why did British culture not triumph? Other parts of Europe – Gaul, Spain and Italy – were invaded by barbarian peoples, but in these provinces it was Roman culture that won out: the newcomers learned to speak languages based on low Latin, and quickly converted to Christianity. Yet in the parts of Britain settled by the Saxons, the direction of travel was all the other way. The Britons who remained in these areas adopted a new Germanic tongue, and began to worship pagan gods.
