This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded, to its abandonment during the 5th century. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 For the Hitman game series see Agent 47. Year 47 was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era.

Origins and language

Carausius coin from Londinium mint. Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293 was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century

Londinium was established as a town by the Romans after the invasion of AD 43 led by the Emperor Claudius. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to Archaeologists now believe that Londinium was founded as a civilian settlement by AD 50. A wooden drain by the side of the main Roman road excavated at No 1 Poultry^[1] has been dated by dendrochronology to 47 which is likely to be the foundation date. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news 1 Poultry is an office and retail building in London. It was designed by James Stirling on a site owned by Peter Palumbo, the controversial property Dendrochronology (from Greek grc δένδρον dendron, "tree" grc χρόνος khronos, "time" and grc -λογία

Prior to the arrival of the Romans, the area was almost certainly lightly rolling open countryside traversed by streams such as Walbrook. Walbrook is the name of a ward a street and a subterranean river in the City of London. Londinium was established at the point where the Thames was narrow enough to build a bridge, but deep enough to handle marine vessels. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Remains of a massive Roman pier base for a bridge were found in 1981, close to the modern London Bridge. A pier is a raised Walkway over water supported by widely spread Piles or pillars. London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames.

It was traditionally thought that Londinium started as a fort to defend the crossing, and later developed into a civilian settlement. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for However, archaeological excavation (undertaken by the Department of Urban Archaeology of the Museum of London, now called MOLAS) since the 1970s has failed to unearth any convincing traces of military occupation on the site, so many archeologists now believe that Londinium was the product of private enterprise. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS is a Registered Archaeological Organisation (RAO with the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA and is a self-financing Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Its site on a busy river-crossing made it a perfect place for traders from across the Empire to set up business.

The name Londinium is thought to be pre-Roman (and possibly pre-Celtic) in origin although there has been no consensus on what it means. It was common practice for Romans to adopt native names for new settlements. A common theory is that it derives from the Celtic name Londinion, which was probably derived from the personal name Londinos, from the word lond meaning 'wild'. The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family.

A theory proposed by Richard Coates, which does not have widespread acceptance, suggests that the name derives from pre-Celtic Old European — Plowonida — from two roots, plew and nejd, meaning something like "the flowing river" or "the wide flowing river". Richard Coates (born in Grimsby, 16 April 1949 is Professor of Linguistics (alternatively professor of Onomastics) at the University of Londinium would therefore mean "the settlement on the wide river". He suggests that the river was called the Thames upriver where it was narrower, and Plowonida downriver where it was too wide to ford. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. ^[2].

Inscriptions and graffiti found by archaeologists confirm that Latin was the official language. It has been implied that many of the local people spoke Brythonic (a Celtic dialect similar to Welsh), although Stephen Oppenheimer in The Origins of Britain: A Genetic Detective Story (Constable and Robinson, London 2006) controversially claims that it is possible that an early version of English was already being spoken in the south of Britain at the time of Londinium's foundation. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. Stephen Oppenheimer (born 1947 a British physician a member of Green College Oxford and an honorary fellow of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, performs and

Status of Londinium

The status of Londinium is uncertain. It was not the capital of a civitas, though Ptolemy lists it as one of the cities of the Cantii. 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 Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca Starting as a small fort guarding the northern end of the new bridge across the River Thames, it grew to become an important port for trade between Britannia and the Roman provinces on the continent. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 The lack of private villas (plentiful elsewhere) suggests military or even Imperial ownership. At the time of the uprising of Boudica, Tacitus writes that "Londinium . Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d . . though undistinguished by the name of a colonia, was much frequented by a number of merchants and trading vessels. A Roman colonia (plural coloniae) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it " In the years after the uprising, the provincial administration of Britain moved from Camulodunum (modern Colchester) to Londinium. Camulodunum is the Roman name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England. Colchester ( /ˈkəʊltʃɛstə/ is a town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester, in Essex, England. The time of the move is not recorded, though second century roofing tiles have been found marked P. PR. BR. LON - "The provincial procurator of Britain, at Londinium. " Londinium is not recorded as being called the capital of Britain, but there are several strong indications for this position, such as the building of a governor's palace, the building of a military camp and several tomb stones belonging to members of a governor's staff. It has been assumed that the city became a colonia, as the early fourth century Verona List describes a bishop Adelphius as Adelphius episcopus de civitate colonia Londiniensium. The Laterculus Veronensis or Verona List is a list of Roman provinces from the times of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Constantine In the fourth century AD Londinium changed its name to Augusta.

History and development

First century AD

Following its foundation in the mid first century, early Roman London occupied a relatively small area, roughly equivalent in size to Hyde Park. Hyde Park is one of the largest Parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner The nineteenth-century antiquarian Roach Smith estimated its length from the Tower west to Ludgate at about a mile; and from London Wall in the north to the Thames bank around half a mile. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, and Ludgate Circus London Wall was the Defensive wall built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in England

Archeologists have uncovered numerous goods imported from across the Roman Empire in this period, suggesting that early Roman London was a highly cosmopolitan community of merchants from across the Empire and assuming that there was a local market for such objects. Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single Moral community.

Boudica's uprising

In around AD 60, little more than ten years after Londinium was founded, it was sacked by the Iceni led by the their queen Boudica. The Iceni or Eceni were a Brythonic Tribe who inhabited an area of Britain corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d Excavation has revealed extensive evidence of destruction by fire in the form of a layer of red ash beneath the City at this date.

Boudica's forces, rebelling against Roman rule, first destroyed Camulodunum and then defeated the Roman legion sent from Lindum (Lincoln) to retrieve the city. Lindum Colonia (otherwise simply Lindum or more formally Colonia Domitiana Lindensium) was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. They then turned their attention towards Londinium. The Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus managed to send some troops to London before Boudica's much larger forces arrived. Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, also spelled Paullinus, (flourished 1st century) was a Roman general What happened next was recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus, in what was the first written record of London. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire.

At first, he [Gaius Suetonius Paulinus] hesitated as to whether to stand and fight there [Londinium]. Eventually, his numerical inferiority - and the price only too clearly paid by the divisional commander's rashness - decided him to sacrifice the single city of Londinium to save the province as a whole. Unmoved by lamentations and appeals, Suetonius gave the signal for departure. The inhabitants were allowed to acompany him. But those who stayed because they were women, or old, or attached to the place, were slaughtered by the enemy.

Tacitus then states that the Romans responded to Boudica's attack by slaughtering as many as 70,000 Britons. There is a longstanding folklore belief that this battle took place at King’s Cross, simply because as a medieval village it was known as Battle Bridge; Tacitus describes the site: "Suetonius chose a place with narrow jaws, backed by a forest" but does not mention the River Fleet, which flowed here. Kings Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. The River Fleet is the largest of London 's subterranean rivers It formerly flowed on the surface ^[3] After the battle Boudica is said to have committed suicide by taking poison.

However, after this, the city was quickly rebuilt as a planned Roman town and recovered after perhaps ten years. During the late decades of the first century Londinium expanded rapidly, and quickly became Roman Britain's largest city. By the end of the century, Londinium had replaced Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain (Britannia). Camulodunum is the Roman name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410

Bronze head of Hadrian, found in London

Second and third centuries

During the second century Londinium was at its height. Emperor Hadrian visited in 123, and probably as one result a number of impressive public buildings were constructed. Publius Aelius Hadrianus (January 24 76 &ndash July 10 138 as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after At some point soon afterward, a major fire^[4] destroyed much of the city. Archeologists have discovered significant amounts of burnt debris from this period, although there is no mention of a fire by any classical writers.

London appears to have recovered, however, and by about 140 Londinium had reached its estimated population height of around 45,000 to 60,000 inhabitants. By the middle of the century Londinium boasted major public buildings, including the largest basilica north of the Alps, a governor's palace, temples, bath houses and a large fort for the city garrison. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman Fanum At the temples Romans prayed and made Ritual Worship Offerings of a small gift or Animal sacrifices to their Roman This page is on buildings used for Roman bathing For the activity in general see Ancient Roman bathing. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for

Excavations during the 1980s uncovered a large Roman port complex near the present-day London Bridge as well as on the other side of the river at Southwark, confirming that, during this period, Londinium would have been an important commercial and trading centre. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. Southwark or The Borough is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1

In the second half of the second century Londinium appears to have shrunk in both size and population. The cause is unknown, but plague is considered a likely culprit, as it is known that between AD 165 and 190 the so-called Antonine Plague severely affected Western Europe. Bubonic plague is the best-known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as The Antonine Plague, 165 - 180 AD  also known as the Plague of Galen, was an ancient Pandemic, either of Smallpox or Measles Another explanation put forward is that Emperor Hadrian's decision not to extend the empire any further may have caused London merchants to lose valuable contracts, causing the economy to slump.

Although Londinium remained important for the rest of the Roman period, it appears to have never fully recovered from this slump, as archeologists have found that much of the city after this date was covered in dark earth, which remained undisturbed for centuries. Dark Earth in Archaeology is an Archaeological horizon often as much as 2 - 3 ft (0

London Wall

Main article: London Wall

Some time between 190 and 225, the Romans built the London Wall, a defensive wall around the landward side of the city. London Wall was the Defensive wall built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in England London Wall was the Defensive wall built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in England Along with Hadrian's Wall and the road network, the London Wall was one of the largest construction projects carried out in Roman Britain. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman The wall was about 3 kilometres (2 miles) long, 6 metres (20 feet) high, and 2. 5 metres (8 feet) thick.

A surviving fragment of the London Wall

Although the exact reason for the wall's construction is unknown, it may have been connected to the invasion of northern Britain by Scots who overran Hadrian's Wall in the 180s. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman Events and trends The end of the Pax Romana (Roman peace with the death of Marcus Aurelius The beginning of the end of the Han dynasty ^[5] Many historians link the building of London Wall with the political crisis that had emerged in the 190s when two men—Septimius Severus, and the governor of Britain (and usurper) Clodius Albinus—both claimed the right to succession as Emperor. Lucius Septimius Severus (or rarely Severus I) ( April 11 145 - February 4 211) was a Roman general and Roman Emperor Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority For others with this Cognomen, see Albinus (cognomen. Decimus Clodius Ceionius Septimius Al­binus (ca The wall may have been constructed on the orders of Albinus in the 190s, who, in a power struggle with his rival, may have felt the need to protect his capital. Septimius eventually defeated his rival in 197.

The economic stimulus provided by the wall and Septimius's campaigns of conquest in Scotland appear to have revived Londinium's fortunes somewhat in the early third century. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Archeological evidence points to renewed construction activity from this period.

One of the reforms introduced by Severus in around 200 AD was the division of Roman Britain into two provinces: Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior. Britannia Superior was one of the provinces of Roman Britain created around 197 AD by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus immediately after winning a Civil War against Britannia Inferior was a subdivision of the Roman province of Britannia established c Londinium remained capital of Britannia Superior, whilst Eboracum (York) became capital of Britannia Inferior. Eboracum was a fort and City in Roman Britain. Today it is known as York, located in North Yorkshire, England. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.

The wall would survive for another 1600 years and define London's perimeters for centuries to come. The perimeters of the present City of London are roughly defined by the former site of the wall. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically

In the late third century, Londinium was raided on several occasions by Saxon pirates. The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering This led, from around 255 onwards, to the construction of an additional riverside wall.

Carausian Revolt

Main article: Carausian Revolt

The "Trier medallion" showing a woman kneeling in front of a Roman soldier at the city walls, to thank him for bringing Allectus' rule to an end

In 286 the usurper Carausius rebelled against Rome's rule and declared himself the Emperor of Roman Britain. The Carausian Revolt ( 286 &ndash 296) was an episode in Roman history during which a Roman naval Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293 was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century His rule lasted for seven years before he was murdered by his treasurer Allectus, who assumed his position. Allectus (died 296 was a Roman usurper - emperor in Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296

In 296 the general Constantius Chlorus invaded Britain to reclaim Britain for Rome. Flavius Valerius Constantius ( March 31 c 250&ndash July 25 306) was an emperor of the Western Roman Empire (305&ndash306 At this point, Frankish mercenaries employed by Allectus started to sack Londinium. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by They were interrupted in this task when a flotilla of Roman warships sailed up the Thames. According to the fourth-century writer Eumenius "the ships reached London, found survivors of the barbarian mercenaries plundering the city, and, when these began to seek flight, landed and slew them in the street". Eumenius (born c 260 at the latest more probably between 230 and 240) was one of the Roman Panegyrists and author of a speech transmitted

The event was commemorated (illustration) by a gold medallion known as the Trier medallion, which shows Constantius Chlorus on one side and on the other side a woman kneeling at the city wall welcoming a mounted Roman soldier. The medallion is so named because it was discovered at Trier in Germany in the 1920s. Trier (Trèves Luxembourgish: Tréier; Augusta Treverorum is a City in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Another memorial to the return of Londinium to Roman control was the construction of a new set of Forum Baths. Recognized only recently as bath structures,^[6] the buildings are thought to have been instrumental in restoring peace to the area. The baths were constructed in the year 300 A. D. The scale of the building was not very grand, but it incorporated many elaborate and luxurious necessities of bath structures. The favored room in the bath is the frigidarium which has two southern pools, and an Eastern natatio. A frigidarium is a large cold pool to drop into after enjoying a hot Roman bath.

Fourth century

The first half of the fourth century appears to have been a prosperous time for Britain, for the villa estates surrounding London appear to have flourished during this period. A Roman villa is a Villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. It is certain that a Christian metropolitan bishop was seated in the city by this time. In Hierarchical Christian churches the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the Diocesan bishop or The asserted antiquity of the see of London depends upon the traditional names of sixteen archbishops listed in the twelfth century by Jocelyne of Furness in his work Bishops, the sole source of these names; however, the earlier of the two bishops named Restitutus in Jocelyne's list is known to have existed, as he is named as attending the Council of Arles in 314. The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. Restitutus ( fl. 314 was an archbishop of London in the early 4th century Arles in the south of Roman Gaul, modern France hosted several councils (Concilium Arelatense or Synods in the early Christian church

By the middle of the century, however, Britain had become increasingly troubled by incursions by barbarian invaders. "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived From 340 onwards, northern Britain was attacked by Picts and Scots. The Picts were a Confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century In 360 a large-scale attack forced the Emperor Julian the Apostate to send troops to deal with the problem. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar

In London at about this time, large efforts were made to improve the city's defences. At least twenty bastions were added to the city walls. A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a Fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall (termed curtain with the shape

In 367 the "Great Conspiracy" - another large scale invasion by Picts, Scots and Saxons - occurred. The Great Conspiracy is a term given to a year-long war that occurred in Roman Britain near the end of the Roman occupation of the island This time the commander Count Theodosius was sent to deal with the problem and restore order, using Londinium as his base. Flavius Theodosius was a senior military officer serving in the Western Roman Empire.

In around 368 Londinium was renamed as Augusta. ^[7] In the same century, Roman Britain was divided again, and Londinium became the capital of the province of Maxima Caesariensis. Maxima Caesariensis was the name of one of the four provinces of later Roman Britain (but is not named in the surviving copies of the Verona List, dated 312

However, the troubles in the empire continued, and in 382 British troops rebelled and elected their own "emperor", Magnus Maximus. Magnus Maximus (ca 335&ndash August 28, 388) also known as Maximianus, was an Hispanic usurper of the Western Roman Empire He soon gathered all of the British-based troops he could and crossed the channel. He gained control of the western part of the empire before being defeated by Theodosius I in 388. Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ Unfortunately this left few troops remaining to defend Britain.

By the end of the fourth century, many Romano-British towns, including London, were in decline. Evidence shows that many of London's public buildings had fallen into disrepair by this point.

Decline and abandonment

During the early fifth century the Roman Empire continued its decline. The Decline of the Roman Empire, leading to the Fall of the Roman Empire, or the Fall of Rome, was the end of the Western Roman Empire. Between 407 and 409 large numbers of barbarians penetrated Gaul and Spain and seriously weakened communication between Rome and Britain. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. British troops elected their own leaders - the last of these, Constantine III, declared himself to be emperor of the Western Empire - and took an expeditionary force across the Channel, leaving Britain short of troops. Constantine III (died 411 by September 18) was a Roman general who declared himself Western Roman Emperor in 407 abdicating in 411 (and being killed In 410, the Romano-British authorities dropped their allegiance to Constantine and appealed to Emperor Honorius for help. Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor He told them that the Britons would have to look after their own defences, meaning effectively that the Roman occupation of Britain officially came to an end. Belligerent military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Britain became increasingly vulnerable to attack by Germanic invaders, namely Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who according to Bede were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time The Frisians are an ethnic group of Germanic people living in coastal parts of The Netherlands and Germany.

There is very little evidence - either historical or archaeological - of what happened to London in this sub-Roman period. Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an Archaeologists ' label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. However, chaos in the collapsing Roman Empire and in the British Isles meant that long-distance trade broke down, wages of Imperial officials were not paid, and London declined drastically.

According to early historians such as the Venerable Bede and Gildas, whose writings were later brought together in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 449 Angles, Saxons and Jutes were invited to Britain by King Vortigern as mercenaries to help defend Britain against Picts and Scots. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Saint Gildas (c 494 or 516 – c 570 was one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during the sixth century The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Vortigern (ˈvɔrtɨɡɝːn also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen and in Welsh Gwrtheyrn was a 5th century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by Bede, writing in the eighth century, stated that Jutes settled in Kent, and in 457, led by brothers Hengist and Horsa, turned against the Britons who had invited them and defeated them at the Battle of Crecganford (Crecganford is thought to be modern Crayford) and the Britons fled to London in terror. The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who according to Bede were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Horsa, according to tradition was a fifth century warrior and brother of Hengest who took part in the invasion and conquest of Britain from its native Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray After this, it is very unclear as to what happened to London, as the historical records are very patchy.

Archeologists have found evidence that a small number of wealthy families managed to maintain a Roman lifestyle until the middle of the fifth century, inhabiting villas in the south-eastern corner of the city. By the end of the century however, the city was largely an uninhabited ruin. ^[8]

The area of the Roman city remained largely uninhabited for the next 400 years, until the site was resettled by Anglo-Saxons: see Anglo-Saxon London. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south This article deals with the history of London during the Anglo-Saxon period from the ending of the Roman period in the 5th century to the

Important buildings

Around the area of modern day Cannon Street station, the remains of a large building have been found, often interpreted as the palace of the governor (praetorium). Cannon Street is a National Rail and London Underground station complex in the City of London, the financial district of London in Praetorium was originally the name of the headquarters of a Roman army It had a garden, water pools and several large halls, some of them decorated with mosaic floors. Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic The plan of the building is only partly preserved. The building was erected in the second part of the first century and was in use until around AD 300. It was rebuilt and renovated several times. ^[9]

In the middle of the Roman town, the Forum was the largest marketplace building north of the Alps, measuring an almost perfect square 168 x 167 m. This page refers to the main forum in the center of Rome See Imperial forums or Other forums in Rome (below for other forums in Rome and Two main building phases have been distinguished. The early forum, built after the time of the rebellion of Boudicca, had an open courtyard and several shops around it. The identification of this building as a forum has been disputed, and it has been argued that these were merely large warehouses. At the beginning of the second century the complex was significantly enlarged. The forum still had an open courtyard with shops around, but also a large Basilica. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman The forum was in use till around AD 300. ^[10]

In the north of the city there have been found remains of the amphitheatre, some still visible under the modern Guildhall. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Cheapside and Basinghall Street, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. Roman London had several bathhouses, although it is often not clear whether the remains found belonged to public baths or to private houses. A well-preserved public bath was excavated at Huggin Hill (near the Thames). It dates into the second part of the first century; it was demolished around AD 200.

Temples

Remains of the Mithras temple

The city certainly had several important temples. Fanum At the temples Romans prayed and made Ritual Worship Offerings of a small gift or Animal sacrifices to their Roman The restoration of a Jupiter temple is mentioned in an inscription, although this building has not yet been identified. In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of Sky and Thunder. Inscriptions mentioning a temple of Isis were found in Southwark. Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners Southwark or The Borough is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1 Temple buildings have been excavated near the oldest forum, a round temple west of the city and perhaps at Peter's Hill, where strong foundations were found that are often assigned to a temple building. The name of a god did not survive in any of these buildings. The only exception is the Temple of Mithras found in 1954 and still containing many high quality miniature votive sculptures.

Living quarters

Mosaic floor from a house in Roman London

In the first century AD most houses of the city were build of wood: only in the second century were they partly replaced by stone buildings. In the second century the city reached its highpoint; parts of Roman London were packed with dwellings. At the end of the second century, when many of them were built of stone, the building density became lower: instead of many small wooden houses, there were at least in parts of the city big well-equipped stone buildings. Excavations have shown that many of the buildings were richly adorned with wall paintings, floor mosaics and sub-floor hypocausts, demonstrating the wealth of the elite. A hypocaust (Latin hypocaustum) is an ancient Roman system of Central heating.

See also

• Anglo-Saxon London
• History of London
• Temple of Mithras
• Museum of London Archaeology Service

Notes

Bibliographic References

• Billings, Malcolm (1994), London: a companion to its history and archaeology, ISBN 1 85626 153 0
• Inwood, Stephen. Bibliography (from Greek grc βιβλιογραφία bibliographia, literally "book writing" as a practice is the academic study of Books A History of London (1998) ISBN 0333671538
• John Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain, London/New York 1997, p. 88-111. ISBN 0-415-17041-9
• Gordon Home: Roman London: A D 43 - 457 Illustrated with black and white plates of artefacts. diagrams and plans. ^[1]

External links

• Roman London - From Britannia. com
• Article about Roman London from channel4.com
• Reassessing what we collect website – Roman London History of Roman London with objects and images