The Londinium Project
What was Roman London?
Roman London, or Londinium to call it by its Roman name, is something of a mystery. It was the largest town in Roman Britain by far - at least to judge by the area within the Roman walls. It had the largest and grandest buildings in Roman Britain - the great basilica, at the end of the forum, is even said to be the largest Roman Building north of the Alps. Yet its status is obscure. It was no doubt the 'capital' of Roman Britain. Yet it was not a colonia, or chartered town. It was not even a county town, one of the so-called civitas capitals. So what was it? In an article in the London Archaeologist in 1995, I set out the problems, and proposed a new solution. Click here for The London Archaeologist article. Click here for the official pages of the Museum of London |