A Brief History of Early Roman London
Population, Timeline, the Roman Wall and the London Bridge
Sep 15, 2008
London is a prominent city, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. It current holds a population of about 8 million, a relatively large fraction of the 60 million total population within the UK. To accommodate this large population, its size stretches for twenty-five square miles, which is a large stretch from the original one square mile the Romans fortified.
A Quick Timeline
- 43 AD: Rome has not yet been founded, according to the Roman Emperor Claudius
- 60 AD: Roman writer Tacitus describes an already existent London. Based on this information most scholars place the established date of London at around 50 AD.
- 61 AD: Queen Boudicca of the Celtic tribes burned Roman London down as a result of a revolt. Roman London, however, is again rebuilt after the destruction.
- 125 AD: London becomes a fortified military garrison, where some of the Roman army is stationed.
- late 400’s AD: London is abandoned for another 400 years, and forever abandoned by the Romans.
Roman London Facts
- Roman London was both a merchant and an international city, as shown by evidence of residents of Roman London who were born as far away as Athens.
- Roman London was based on a maritime existence and was a great shipping port.
- They imported many types of goods, even luxury goods such as silk
- The Roman writer Tacitus, who described London in the year 60 AD, claimed the Roman toga had become the fashionable item of clothing
The Roman Bridge and the Roman Wall
These two engineering projects were absolutely essential to the success of Roman London.
- London bridge: This bridge that allowed the Roman army to cross the Thames River is a large reason for the existence and location of London. Originally built as a wood bridge, Roman engineers had to deal with marshy land south of the Thames. Today’s London bridge is built in almost the same place as the original bridge. There were no additional bridges until the late 18th Century.
- Roman Wall: In the year 200 AD or so, the Romans built a wall around city that was made of stone. Remnants of these walls still exist in London today, and are identifiable by their multiple rows of red brick periodically in the stone. The wall was about fifteen feet tall, eight feet thick, and almost two miles long. In 375 AD the wall extended to include the Thames River border of London.
Roman London Population
Early on, Roman London had a population of about 10,000 people, including soldiers, administrators, and tradesmen, of both Celtic and Roman origin. The population peaks at 50,000 people in the 3rd Century. London will not be this large again until the reign of King Henry VIII. In the late 4th Century, the population begins shrinking, and disappears all together by the late 5th Century.
Roman history as we know it is constantly being re-written as more archeological finds are being discovered. These discoveries are a result of either the construction of new buildings or the restoration of the WWII bombing damage. We know many of the facts based on clues, such as a Roman cemetery indicating a city boundary, or several roads forming a circle indicating a Roman amphitheatre.
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