15 Facts About Londinium

Londinium, known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule.

Londinium supported a smaller but stable settlement population as archaeologists have found that much of the city after this date was covered in dark earth—the by-product of urban household waste, manure, ceramic tile, and non-farm debris of settlement occupation, which accumulated relatively undisturbed for centuries.

However, the Roman Londinium was not the immediate source of English "London", as i-mutation would have caused the name to have been Lyndon.

Londinium grew up as a vicus, and soon became an important port for trade between Britain and the Roman provinces on the continent.

Unlike many cities of Roman Britain, Londinium was not placed on the site of a native settlement or oppidum.

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Londinium grew up around the point on the River Thames narrow enough for the construction of a Roman bridge but still deep enough to handle the era's seagoing ships.

Londinium's will had divided his wealth and lands between Rome and his two daughters, but Roman law forbade female inheritance and it had become common practice to treat allied kingdoms as life estates that were annexed upon the ruler's death, as had occurred in Bithynia and Galatia.

The first forum in Londinium seems to have had a full temple, but placed outside just west of the forum.

Only two large warehouses are known, implying that Londinium functioned as a bustling trade centre rather than a supply depot and distribution centre like Ostia near Rome.

Londinium's amphitheatre, constructed in AD 70, is situated at Guildhall.

Londinium remained well populated, as archaeologists have found that much of the city after this date was covered in dark earth which accumulated relatively undisturbed over centuries.

Londinium is universally supposed to have been the capital of one of them, but it remains unclear where the new provinces were, whether there were initially three or four in total, and whether Valentia represented a fifth province or a renaming of an older one.

Londinium was probably responsible for London's new church in the 370s or 380s.

Population of Londinium is estimated to have peaked around 100 AD when it was still the capital of Britannia; at this point estimates for the population vary between about 30, 000, or about 60, 000 people.

Londinium was an ethnically diverse city with inhabitants from across the Roman Empire, including those with backgrounds from Britannia, continental Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.