Festival of Archaeology 2023 (South East)

Secrets of Londinium...

You don’t need to look too far to discover that the ancient city of Londinium is actually all around us…

The Romans first settled in Britannia in AD43 and within ten years had named the administrative capital of their new province – Londinium. It might be hard to imagine today, but Roman soldiers once marched through these streets, gladiators fought in the amphitheatre, citizens bathed in bathhouses and worshipped in ancient temples.

Did you know that the shape of the ancient City of London has been defined by one single structure: the London Wall? In 200 AD, Romans built a stone wall around Londinium to mark its boundaries. Today, it is cared for by English Heritage, and you can read more about its history here.

As part of our tour of Roman London, we visited the Wall (the city’s largest surviving Roman construction) and the London Mithraeum, an ancient temple to the God Mithras, only discovered after bombing in World War Two.

We journeyed back in time to hear about the the history of London during this classical age!

 

Life in Roman Britain: Exploring Richborough Roman Fort

A few weeks later, we invited young people to visit Richborough Roman Fort.

Richborough Roman Fort in Kent was a significant site in Roman Britain and is famous for being the landing place of the Roman invasion in 43 CE – otherwise known as the Gateway to Britain.

Initially serving as a military base and supply depot for the Roman conquest, it later evolved into a prosperous port and commercial hub. By the 3rd century, as threats from Saxon raiders increased, it was fortified with massive stone walls and towers, becoming part of the Saxon Shore defenses. Over the centuries, the site declined after the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century, but it remains an important archaeological site and offers insights into Roman military and civilian life. You can read more about Richborough Roman Fort here.

We began our visit to Richborough with a guided tour of the Roman Fort. It was a really cold July day for us, and we wondered what the Romans who had just arrived in Britain must have initially thought of this wet and windy island!

We learnt about the site’s significance as a key military base and then we visited the Roman Amphitheatre, imagining the vivid spectacles of wild beast hunts and gladiator fights that once entertained crowds here. Afterwards, Richborough Roman Fort volunteers gave us an interactive handling session, where we examined and learned about replicas of artefacts excavated from the site, gaining a deeper understanding of Roman life and culture, and also about the processes and running of organised archaeological digs.