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In
the first millennium what was the City of London like? In 730 AD the Saxon
Honourable Bede referred to Lundenburg as an emporium “a market for many people
coming by land and sea”. Before him the Roman historian Tacitus had also
referred to Londinium “not indeed distinguished by the title colony, but a great
centre of trade and commerce”.
The Talk on Roman Londinium concentrates on how London was founded by the Romans in about 50 AD, how it was burnt to ashes by Queen Boudicca in 60/61AD. Londinium seemed to have been rather special to the Romans, they built a large Basilica and Forum, where business, trade and government took place, they worshipped by the river Walbrook and many religious artefacts have been found in this area of the City, they also built a Palace for the Procurator and a Fort. The Romans decided Londinium was important enough to be protected by a wall started in 196AD, later adding the river wall with gates; names still with us today such as “Aldgate”.
Archaeologists
have always felt that Londinium should have had an Amphitheatre, but almost gave
up on the idea, when suddenly in July 1987, the Amphitheatre was found! However
in the 5th century Londinium was being raided by various Germanic invaders, such
as the Saxons, and in 410AD the Romans abandoned the people of Londinium to
their fate.
The Talk continues to look at where the Saxons settled. This has puzzled archaeologists for decades. The Saxons, had decided to establish Lundenwic away from the walled Roman City. Where was Lundenwic ?
The
Saxons themselves being threatened by the Vikings in the 8th century decided to
move to a place that offered them better protection and renamed it Lundenburg
.
The Talk looks at the importance of the river Thames-shore of Queenhithe, the development of Christianity with the building of St. Paul's Cathedral, government, trade and the wards of the City of Lundenburg and how the people lived. They were afraid of the approaching first millennium, they had very strange laws about divorce and they also had their equivalent of the wonder drug Viagra!
This is a most interesting Talk with lovely slides.