Calleva Atrebatum (or Silchester Roman Town) was an Iron Age oppidum and subsequently a town in the Roman province of Britannia and the civitas capital of the Atrebates tribe. In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised Oppidum (plural oppida) is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of Ancient Rome. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin provincia, pl provinciae) was the basic and until the Tetrarchy (circa Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. In the history of the Roman empire, civitas (pl civitates mainly referred to the condition of Roman Citizenship It was also used to describe a type of settlement The Atrebates (singular Atrebas, meaning "settlers" were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests Its ruins are located beneath and to the west of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, which lies just within the town wall and about 0. 5 miles (1 km) to the east of the modern village of Silchester in the English county of Hampshire. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Silchester is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain

Contents 1 Description 2 Excavation 3 Location 4 Access 5 References 6 External links

Description

Most Roman towns in Britain continued to exist after the end of the Roman era, and consequently their remains underlay their more recent successors, which are often still major population centres. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Calleva is unusual in that, for reasons unknown, it was abandoned shortly after the end of the Roman era and local political and commercial activity moved to nearby Reading. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between As a consequence, Calleva has been subject to relatively benign neglect for most of the last two millennia. ^[1]

The site covers a large area of over 100 acres (400,000 sq. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U metres) within a polygonal earthwork. In Geometry a polygon (ˈpɒlɨɡɒn ˈpɒliɡɒn is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path or circuit The earthworks and, for much of the circumference, the ruined walls are still visible. The remains of the amphitheatre, added about AD 70-80 and situated outside the city walls, can also be clearly seen. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances By contrast, the area inside the walls is now largely farmland with no visible distinguishing features, other than the enclosing earthworks and walls, together with a tiny mediaeval church in one corner. ^[2][3]

Excavation

Calleva was completely excavated by the Society of Antiquaries of London between the years 1890 and 1909, and this excavation provided valuable information about civic life and daily life in the first centuries of the Common Era, as well as a map of the Romano-British town. The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL is the world’s premier Learned Society for heritage Romano-British culture is that of the Romanized Britons under the Roman Empire and later the Western Roman Empire, and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years Whilst the excavation techniques of the time were adequate to deal with buildings with stone foundations, work in other towns of Roman Britain has revealed that timber construction predominated in the first and second centuries AD, and the early excavations were not capable of recovering evidence of these buildings. ^[4]

Additionally, this early excavation was believed to have destroyed evidence that might have been analysed in more careful detail not only with current technology and practices, but with the tools and knowledge of future generations. As archaeological study of this kind can be a destructive process, the excavation of Calleva is frequently mentioned as an example of why complete excavation should not be performed. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos

However, since the 1970s the University of Reading has become increasingly involved in new excavations. The University of Reading is a University in the English town of Reading Berkshire Work has been undertaken on the amphitheatre and the forum basilica, which revealed remarkably good preservation of items from both the Iron Age and early Roman occupations. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. In (2004) exploration of one of the central insulae of the town was undertaken. In Roman architecture, insulae (singular Insula) were large Apartment buildings where the lower and middle classes of Romans (the Plebs Results indicated that the scope for further work inside and outside the walls is enormous. ^[5]

Location

The site of Calleva is adjacent to the modern village of Silchester, in the English county of Hampshire adjacent to the border with Berkshire. Silchester is a Village and Civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain Berkshire (ˈbɑːkʃə or /ˈbɑːkʃɪə/ say Baak-shuh/-sheer sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a Home County in the South Reading is some 10 miles (16 km) to the north-east, whilst Basingstoke is 5 miles (8. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England It lies across a Valley at the source of the River Loddon. 0 km) to the south. The grid reference of the site is SU639624. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude

Access

Now primarily owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by English Heritage, the site of Calleva is open to the public during daylight hours, seven days a week and without charge. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of The full circumference of the walls is accessible, as is the amphitheatre. The interior is farmed and, with the exception of the church and a single track that bisects the interior, inaccessible. Current excavations are sometimes open for visitors, and occasional organised open days are held; see the Reading University web site ('External links' below) for details.

The Museum of Reading, located in the Town Hall in central Reading, has a gallery devoted to Calleva, displaying many archeological finds from the various excavations. The Museum of Reading (run by the Reading Museum Service) is in the old Town Hall in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between

References

Specific

General

1. Clarke, A. , Fulford, M. , Rains, M. & Shaffrey, R. (2001). Silchester Roman Town - The Insula IX Town Life Project: The Victorian Excavations of 1893. Retrieved December 20, 2005. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
2. Clarke, A. , Eckardt, H. , Fulford, M. , Rains, M and Tootell, K. , (2005). Silchester Town Life Project: Late Roman Insula IX. Retrieved December 20, 2005. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

External links

• Reading University web site on Silchester Roman Town
• BBC article by Professor Michael Fulford: City of the Dead: the Roman Town of Calleva Atrebatum

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