Britannia great
The Britannia prima was one of the four provinces of the Roman Empire in what is now Great Britain , and had its capital in Corinium Dobunnorum , today Cirencester in the county of Gloucestershire . In the course of the administrative reform under Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century AD, the province encompassed today's South West England and Wales .
At that time, Diocletian reduced the size of the provinces and increased their number significantly, but at the same time he divided the Roman Empire into twelve higher administrative units, the dioceses . However, Britain and part of Gaul formed a special empire under the usurper Carausius and his successor Allectus for ten years during the reign of Diocletian .
It was therefore probably after the reconquest of Britain by the Caesar Constantius Chlorus and his entry into Londinium ( London ) in 296 that the province of Britannia superior was divided into the provinces of Britannia prima and Britannia Caesariensis . The province around London retained the honorable nickname of Caesar, but the former Britannia inferior in the north became Britannia secunda .
The then second largest city in Britain, Corinium , experienced a further boom as the capital of Britannia . Under Emperor Julian , who had converted from Christianity back to paganism, the governor Lucius Septimus had a pillar built in honor of the former state god Jupiter .
The Corinium Museum in Cirencester, which reopened in June 2005, offers a rich collection of finds from this province . The museum is known for its collection of Roman mosaic floors , most of which come from the so-called Corinian School .
See also
literature
- Roger White: Britannia Prima, Britain's Last Roman Province , Chalford 2007 ISBN 978-0-7524-1967-1