Londinium Resurrected

Londinium - Artist's Impression

This has been a truly exciting week. 

In my off time I’m constantly scouring the web for articles and videos on the latest archaeological and historical discoveries and theories. When I stumbled upon the news from London on the BBC website, I was totally blown away.

Our knowledge of Roman London, or Londinium, has increased exponentially of late with excavations at a site along Queen Victoria Street. This was the heart of Roman Londinium. The site has been dubbed the ‘Pompeii of the North’ due to the fantastic preservation of the finds.

How many finds? Ten thousand, to be precise. At least that’s the number that’s being given out. It could be more.

But Roman London wasn’t always the massive metropolis we know it as today. In fact, after Emperor Claudius’ invasion c. 43 A.D. Camulodunum (modern Colchester) was the administrative capital of the province.

Londinium was established roughly about the same year and by about 50 A.D. was a civitas, a civilian settlement.

Artist's Impression of Queen Boudicca

Then came Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, who destroyed a Roman legion sent against her from Lincoln and set Camulodunum and Londinium aflame around 60 A.D. As many of the structures were likely made of wattle and daub, the fires would have been devastating. Here is a video on how structures in Roman London were made.

In the wake of the bloody Boudiccan revolt and the defeat of the tribes by General Paulinus, Londinium was rebuilt as a proper, planned Roman town and in a short time became bigger than Camulodunum.

At its peak in the early 2^nd century A.D., Londinium covered over 350 acres of land. Much of the buildings of this period were constructed for the Emperor Hadrian’s visit to the province and the town which was now the administrative capital of Britannia.

Londinium was later rendered more defensible between 190 and 255 A.D. when the Romans built the ‘London Wall’. This defensive work was 20 feet high, 8 feet thick and stretched for 3 miles. Some believe that it was begun by the Governor Clodius Albinus at the end of the 2^nd century when civil war broke out between him and the future emperor, Septimius Severus.

Excavations in London

These most recent excavations have yielded some pretty amazing finds that will expand upon our knowledge of Londinium and the picture we have of it.

This is exciting for the historic novelist as well. These are the sorts of things that can add detail to the world of a novel. The finds include writing tablets with the ink still legible, charms and talismans, a wooden door, the remains of timber buildings and yards, clothing, an ornate dish set, and ornate pieces of leather work. BBC has posted a slide show of some of the more beautiful finds HERE.

Also uncovered were part of a lost Londinium riverbed, entire streets of with complex Roman drainage systems, and part of a previously unexcavated section of a temple of Mithras. Part of this temple was discovered in 2010 during a previous dig. You can read that article HERE.

Find from the site

It will be interesting to see how and if the finds change the current maps we have of Roman Londinium and I, for one, am looking forward to getting up close to some of the finds. Someday at least.

London is one of those fantastic places where one can walk upon layers of civilization. Thank goodness there are strict laws in place that allow for excavations to be completed before building projects are allowed to continue. If these laws were not in place our historical record would be much the poorer.

Sadly, when Rome left the British to their own defences in the early 5^th century A.D. Londinium went  into decline. By the end of the 5^th century there were almost no residents.

Amber charm in the shape of
a gladiator's helmet

That’s why excavations and the finds that come out of them are so important. They can fill the gaps in our knowledge and preserve the historical record. These can also inform fiction which is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to resurrect and ancient city. 

Up for a bit of fun? Try the Museum of London's online game: LONDINIUM

Boudicca and the Iceni

Statue of Boudicca
Westminster Bridge, London

When it comes to the history of Iron Age and Roman Britain, there are few historical personages that have fired the imagination so much as Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni. She was a strong leader and fierce warrior, whose popular image is both tragic and romantic. If you have ever been to London, near the Houses of Parliament, you will have seen the beautiful bronze statue of Boudicca by Thomas Thornycroft, erected near Westminster Bridge in 1902.

Last week, BBC on-line posted an article about a recent find. It seems that a causeway built around 75 B.C. by the Iceni tribe, who lived in what is now Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England, was found by archaeologists in and around the area of Geldeston. Exact dating has yet to be carried out but the preliminary results date it to about 100 years prior to the Roman invasion of Britain against which Boudicca was a key force. The causeway was, of course, built before Boudicca lived but it is an exciting find. As it was a major route of her kingdom, she may well have travelled it. Apparently, the actual wooden posts are so well preserved by the peat that they look modern and all of the tool marks are still visible.

The road that ran through the wetlands was 4 meters wide and ran for 500 meters across the marshes. Archaeologists believe that the route was likely used for trade, boundaries and to allow the Iceni access to sacred places – swords and other weapons are often found in water where the Celts would have made offerings to the gods.

Roman Legionaries

The main source for the period is Tacitus whose father-in-law was Gnaeus Julius Agricola, who campaigned into northern Scotland and was a tribune under the command of Suetonius Paulinus, Governor of Britain, circa A.D. 60. When Boudicca’s husband, King Prasutagus, a nominal ally of Rome, died he left his kingdom to his two daughters and the Emperor of Rome to rule jointly. Rome did not honour the king’s will. Roman financiers took over everything, Boudicca was flogged and her daughters raped. Definitely the makings of a rebellion.

The uprising began while Governor Paulinus was in Mona (Anglesey) to crush the druid stronghold. Boudicca’s forces subsequently defeated Rome in several engagements and sacked the cities of Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium. In the end, Roman forces prevailed and at the final battle, according to Tacitus, over 80,000 Britons died with Roman casualties under 1000. Hard numbers to swallow and which should be taken with a grain of salt as history, as we know, is written by the victors. Would Rome want to give much sway to a female opponent who delivered some heavy hits to its ego? Probably not.

There is of course no shortage of historical fiction when it comes to Queen Boudicca. She is the stuff of legend. Books and series from such writers as Manda Scott, Simon Scarrow, Rosemary Sutcliff and Pauline Gedge are but a few of the good ones. There are others.

Cover of George Shipway's
Imperial Governor

A book with a difference which I read a couple of years ago and which I would highly recommend is George Shipway’s Imperial Governor. Shipway was a British writer of historical fiction who had also served in the British military in the Indian Cavalry until 1946. He combined his love of history with his military experience to create a novel with a difference. The insights are unique (the book is in Governor Paulinus’ voice) and his battle scenes, particularly those involving cavalry, very real. Shipway also wrote several novels set in the middle ages and one set in the Bronze Age the subject of which is none other than Agamemnon. I have only read Imperial Governor at this point but if that book is any indication of the quality of the others, they too will be added to my reading list.