Londinium

Londinium, also called Roman London, was the main city of Roman Britain when Rome ruled the land. Most historians think it started after the Claudian invasion of Britain around 47–50 AD, but some think it began in 43 AD. It was built where the modern City of London is now, near an important crossing over the River Thames. This made it a key place for travel and trade.

In the year 60 or 61 AD, a rebellion led by the queen Boudica of the Iceni caused the Romans to leave Londinium, and the city was destroyed. After Boudica was defeated, the Romans rebuilt the city, and it grew fast. By the 2nd century, Londinium was the biggest city in Britain, with large public buildings like a forum and an amphitheatre. When Emperor Hadrian visited in 122 AD, the city's forum basilica was one of the largest buildings north of the Alps.

Londinium stayed important, but it did not grow much bigger after the 2nd century. A wall was built around the city between 190 and 225 AD. The London Wall stood for over 1,600 years and helped shape the edges of the old City of London.

Name

The name Londinium means is not known for sure. One old story says it was named after a person called Lud, but we do not know if he was real. The name was probably based on an old British name that sounded like Londinion. Over time, it changed into the name we know today as London. In English, we say the name as "lun-DIN-ee-əm".

Location

Londinium was built on the north side of the Thames. It was an important place where roads met and was centered around Cornhill and the River Walbrook. The city stretched west to Ludgate Hill and east to Tower Hill. Before the Romans arrived, the area was fought over by the Catuvellauni and the Trinovantes. It was also near the land of the Cantiaci south of the Thames.

The Roman city grew to cover the area of the City of London. Suburbs grew up at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Westminster and near the southern end of the Thames bridge in Southwark. Writings suggest there may have been a temple of Isis in that area.

Status

Londinium began as a small village and quickly became an important port for trading between Roman Britain and Europe. The writer Tacitus wrote about Londinium being busy with merchants and ships, even during a big uprising led by a leader named Boudica.

Over time, Londinium grew more important. It may have been named a city early on to show its role as a large settlement. By about the year 120, it likely became an official colony, showing it was very important. During this time, Londinium probably became the main city for managing Britain, taking that role from Camulodunum (now Colchester in Essex). We do not know the exact date, but clues like special tiles for officials, remains of a governor’s home, and defensive buildings suggest its importance. By about the year 300, Londinium was known as Augusta, a name often used for important cities.

History

Founding

Londinium, also called Roman London, was built where earlier British tribes did not live. Before the Romans came, the land had open fields and small streams. Some think Londinium began as a small Roman military camp, but there isn’t much proof.

The Romans built Londinium near where the River Thames could be crossed easily. They made a bridge so ships could reach the city. Evidence of a big bridge pier was found near today’s London Bridge. The city grew quickly, covering about 350 acres, about the size of today’s Hyde Park.

Roads

Many important roads led to and from Londinium. Seven major roads went to places like Canterbury, Colchester, and York. These roads helped connect Londinium to the rest of the Roman world. Some roads had layers of oak logs to stay strong in marshy areas.

The city’s streets were laid out in a grid pattern after 60 AD. Main streets were wide, while smaller streets were narrower.

Boudica

Around 60 or 61 AD, about ten years after Londinium was founded, a leader named Boudica led a revolt against Roman rule. Her family was treated harshly by the Romans. Boudica and her allies attacked and destroyed the city of Camulodunum. The Romans sent soldiers to defend Londinium, but many people in Londinium were killed.

1st century

After the attack, the Romans built a fort to protect Londinium. The city was rebuilt with new roads, buildings, and a marketplace. By the end of the century, Londinium had grown to perhaps 60,000 people and became an important center.

Port

Londinium had a big port near London Bridge. After Boudica’s attack, the Romans rebuilt the port with strong wharfs. The port imported goods like fine pottery, jewelry, and wine. It was a busy trading place.

2nd century

Emperor Hadrian visited Londinium in 122 AD. Public buildings were built or rebuilt, possibly for his visit. Londinium became even more important, with many stone houses and public buildings. The city had good water and drainage systems. A large forum and bathhouses were built, and a fort protected the city.

London Wall

Between 190 and 225 AD, the Romans built a wall around Londinium to protect it. The wall was about 5 kilometers long and 6 meters high. It had four main gates and smaller doors for people to use. The wall helped define the city’s borders for many years.

3rd century

In the early 200s, Emperor Septimius Severus split Britain into two parts. Londinium’s economy improved a bit. A temple dedicated to the god Mithras was built near the River Walbrook.

Raiding by sea pirates led to the building of a wall along the river. A temple to the goddess Isis was also rebuilt during this time.

Carausian Revolt

In 286 AD, a leader named Carausius declared an independent British empire. After being attacked, his treasurer took over. In 296, Roman forces invaded and took back control of Londinium.

4th century

Londinium was an important city during this time. A large building was discovered that looked like a church. The city’s defenses were strengthened with new towers on the walls.

5th century

With fewer Roman soldiers in Britain, Londinium declined. Many public buildings fell apart, and trade stopped. By the end of the 5th century, the city was mostly empty and in ruins. New groups like the Angles and Saxons settled in the area, but Londinium was not reused until later.

Demographics

Londinium had many people living there around 100 AD, maybe between 30,000 and 60,000. After 150 AD, fewer people lived there, maybe because other places became more important for trade.

People in Londinium came from many places, including continental Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Most people were born there, but some came from far away. Men were usually about 5 feet 6 inches tall, and women about 5 feet 2 inches tall.

Excavation

See also: Museum of London, Museum of London Archaeology, and Amphitheatre (London)

Many old parts of London are still hidden below the city. Learning about them can be difficult because of the soil and rock layers. It’s hard to see old Roman roads unless they were fixed many times or spread over a large area. Small pieces of wood from old buildings are easy to miss, and stone buildings might only leave small parts behind. Sometimes these stones were used later to build new things.

People began studying old London in the 1600s after a big fire. When they rebuilt, they did not find proof that a famous old church was built where Romans once honored a goddess. In the 1800s, more building work helped uncover old parts of London, like a Roman house found in 1848.

In the 1860s, digging near a river found many old skulls, which might be from a very old battle. More discoveries were made in the 1940s and 1950s, like a special temple that had to be moved for new buildings but is now back where it belongs.

Since the 1970s, people have been carefully digging along the old edges of London’s waterfront. Lots of building work in the 1980s and 1990s gave more chances to find hidden pieces of the past.

Displays

Important discoveries from Roman London, such as mosaics, wall pieces, and old buildings, used to be kept in the London and Guildhall Museums. After 1965, these museums combined to become the Museum of London, which was located near the Barbican Centre from 1976 until 2022. The Museum of London Docklands, a separate museum about London's ports, opened on the Isle of Dogs in 2003. More discoveries from Roman London are kept in the British Museum.

Some walls from the Roman times can still be seen today. Near Tower Hill tube station, in a hotel courtyard at 8–10 Coopers Row, and in St Alphege Gardens off Wood Street, you can see parts of these old walls. Inside the Tower of London, a part of the river wall from Roman times is also visible. Some parts of an old amphitheatre can be seen under the Guildhall Art Gallery. The southwestern tower of a Roman fort can still be seen on Noble Street. Sometimes, Roman ruins are built into new buildings for future study, but they are usually not open to the public.