Camulodunum

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Plan of the Roman Camoludunum

Camulodunum is the Latin name of Colchester , the oldest Roman city in Britain . Camulodunum was initially the main town of the Celtic tribe of the Trinovantes . After the conquest of Britain by the Romans, the place became the capital of the new province and Roman colony, but lost this role to Londinium early on .

The Celtic oppidum

Camulodunum is the Latinized form of the name of the originally Celtic oppidum . The name roughly means fortress of Camulos, whereby Camulos was the Celtic god of war. The historian Cassius Dio calls the place Basileion, an administrative seat or a residential town. At the time of the Roman invasion, this city was the political and cultural center of the most powerful Celtic tribe in South Britain, the Trinovanten, seat of Cunobelinus , their last ruler and bitter enemy of Rome. Four months after the invasion, the commander of the Roman occupation army, Aulus Plautius, enclosed the city. Shortly before they were captured, Emperor Claudius landed in Britain and personally commanded the assault on the city fortifications. After their defenders surrendered, Claudius rode into the conquered city on the back of an elephant.

The Celtic city was about two kilometers south of the Roman city. During excavations near Gosbeck, the remains of a Celtic temple, the remains of a royal residential complex and rich Celtic burials were found.

name of the city

The name of the city appears in various forms in the ancient sources. Modern authors often simply call the city Camulodunum, as ancient authors do. Tacitus calls the city Camulodunum. Claudius Ptolemy calls it Camulodunum and the capital of the Trinovants . Apparently this name is not quite correct. A very important, contemporary source of the name is the base of a statue from Rome, which comes from a Gnaeus Munatius Aurelius Bassus , who lived and officiated in the second century. He mentions that he oversaw the census of Roman citizens in the Colonia Victricensis, which is located in Camulodunum in Britain . The Celtic city of Camulodunum was therefore a household name in Rome, while the name of the colony Colonia Victricensis was less known. Ancient authors were therefore not so familiar with the geography of the region and mistook the colony for the Celtic city.

The Roman provincial capital

After the Roman conquest, a legionary camp was set up near the city around 43-44 AD , in which the Legio XX Valeria Victrix with auxiliary troops was housed. However, the Legion was relocated from Publius Ostorius Scapula to Glevum ( Gloucester ) in Wales in the winter of 48-49 AD and the fortifications in Camulodunum razed. The area of ​​the abandoned camp continued to be used as the Colonia Victrix veterans' colony .

The new city was laid out according to a plan with streets intersecting at right angles. Barracks were converted into residential buildings. The old walls of the camp were torn down and the trenches filled in. In the east of the city, in a newly established part of the city, a temple of Claudius was built as an imperial cult center.

In addition, the city also had other important public buildings, of which only a theater and a triumphal arch have so far been located. The temple of the imperial cult in particular suggests that the city assumed the status of the provincial capital of Britain. A forum could not be located with certainty so far. In many comparable places, the headquarters ( principia ) of a military camp has been converted into a forum. This can also be assumed here, but it has not yet been proven.

The Boudicca uprising

In the year 60/61 AD the uprising of the Boudicca took place in the young province , during which the unfortified Camulodunum was the first city to be devastated. The historian Tacitus reported on the events. The hatred was initially directed primarily against the veterans, who had recently been settled in the city. The temple of Claudius was also the target of hatred, as it was considered a "citadel of tyranny". Tacitus reports that the city was unfortified. A statue of Victoria is said to have fallen over to the rear. This has been interpreted as a bad omen. The residents of the city asked the procurator Catus Decianus for help, but he only sent 200 poorly armed men to help. When the British finally attacked, they were able to take, loot and burn the whole city without any problems. Only the temple lasted longer. This is where the soldiers holed up. After two days of siege, the temple also fell. Archaeological excavations have unearthed signs of destruction all over the city.

After the Boudicca uprising, veterans of Legions XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix and XX Valeria Victrix were resettled in the destroyed Camulodunum and rebuilt the city. However, the provincial administration was moved to London ( Londinium ) .

Second and Third Centuries

In the following years Camulodunum experienced its real heyday, although it was never again to play an important political role. The city was expanded again around 80 to 100 AD and received a city wall during this time. Although relatively much has been excavated for a city that is still inhabited today, many public buildings are still missing. Only the location of the theater and the newly built temple of the imperial cult are known. So far there is no evidence of a forum , thermal baths or other temples, apart from two small sanctuaries in front of the city walls. Instead, numerous peristyle houses were found, richly decorated with mosaics and wall paintings. In the north and east suburbs could be found outside the city walls. There were also extensive cemeteries here, some of which were complex grave structures.

economy

Camulodunum was an important pottery center. Various pottery furnaces have been found in the city. The city is one of the few places in Britain where Terra Sigillata was produced. Craftsmen probably came to the city in the middle of the second century and set up a workshop there, one of which could also be excavated. Terra Sigillata was more difficult to make than simple pottery. Decorated vessels were worked in molds, while the base was added later. The ceramics also required special firing techniques which, above all, had to be precisely controlled. Excavations in the city revealed over 400 fragments of forms. Surprisingly, however, production in the city was not very commercially successful. Of the 1228 terra sigillata fragments found in recent excavations, only 5 were from local production. This may be due to the not so good quality of the clay in the region, which may therefore have had to be imported and therefore made the production not very bearable.

There is also evidence of glass processing. During excavations, some remains of waste from glass production were found. There were also fragments that may have come from a glass bar. These documents are not very numerous, but are sufficient to document a glass production on a small scale. The glass waste was found at various locations during excavations and can therefore not be assigned to a specific house with certainty.

buildings

The Temple of Claudius

The Temple of Claudius is the largest classical style temple known in Britain to date. The temple is mentioned by Tacitus and Seneca . The location of the temple was unknown for a long time. It wasn't until the 1920s that it became clear that vaults, located below Colchester Castle , the Norman castle in the city, belonged to this temple. However, these so-called vaults are actually the impressions of the temple foundation. When the temple was built, trenches were dug, which were then filled with cement and stones as well as supporting wooden planks to stabilize the soft subsoil. The actual temple building was once around 24.4 meters wide and 32 meters long. According to calculations, it was more than 20 meters high with a podium. The pillars were about nine meters long. At the front there was a staircase and probably eight columns. There was certainly an altar in front of the temple, but nothing has yet been found. According to Tacitus, a statue of the goddess of victory Victoria is said to have been at the temple . The temple stood in a large temple area, which was surrounded by arcades that had a side length of about 120 meters. The temple was rebuilt after the Boudicca uprising, where it stood within a temple district. It is controversial when the temple was dedicated to Claudius. Claudius did not wish to be worshiped as a god, so the temple could not be consecrated to him until after his death. But he may have made an exception here in order to strengthen his power in the newly conquered province.

More temples

There were various Roman-Celtic temple temples in the city. One of them stood at the so-called "Balkene Tor" (the main and west gate of the city wall), outside the city walls. The sanctuary had a cella and a gallery. The cella was about 14.5 x 7.3 m in size, the passage was about 14.50 m square. Only a few remains were found of the walls of the cella. The floor was nowhere preserved. Most of the walls had been robbed by stone robbers, so that only the empty trenches could be observed during the excavations. The construction was erected in the first century and was abandoned in the first half of the fourth century. The deity worshiped here is unknown. To the south of the temple, on the other side of the ancient road, the remains of another sanctuary have been excavated. The building (about 10.8 × 11.2 m) consisted of a solid rear wall, while the north side had four pilasters and the east and west sides two. The layout is very unusual and is certainly best explained as a small sanctuary that was connected to the temple across the street.

Four more could be excavated north of the actual walled city. One of them was particularly large and surrounded by a wall. A copper plaque reports that Publius Oranius Facilis consecrated a statue of Jupiter. Accordingly, one of the temples here may have been dedicated to Jupiter. Another temple was to the west of the city some distance from the rest of the city and was dedicated to Silvanus .

theatre

In 1982, the remains of a stone theater were found. It was next to the temple of Claudius and is mentioned in Tacitus. It was once about 60 meters wide, making it one of the largest in Britain. Since only parts of the foundations have been excavated, little can be said about the original structure.

Forum and thermal baths

So far, neither thermal baths nor a forum could be identified with certainty. After all, massive foundations have been found in “Insula 20” in recent years, which may belong to a bathing complex.

Business

Misfire from the pottery kiln in Camulodunum

In the south of the city, the remains of a monumental, square building that was built in the second century have been excavated. The internal dimensions were approximately 5.5 × 7.0 meters. The building was located in the middle of more agricultural areas. It is probably the remains of a granary. This was torn down around 300 and a kiln was built in its place to dry the grain.

Pottery kilns have been found mainly outside the city walls. They were mostly located away from built-up areas. They usually formed groups of several ovens. The ovens are usually around two to three meters long. They are round or rectangular with a fire hole under the ground. The pots stood on a raised ledge above the fire at the bottom of the stove. Two larger, rectangular ovens were also found in the town, but they were intended for the production of tiles and bricks.

city ​​wall

Remnant of the city walls of Camulodunum

The city area was surrounded by a wall. It was 2.835 kilometers long and about 2.65 meters thick and at least six meters high. The wall had six gates and about 24 towers. Most of Britain's city walls were built at the end of the second century. However, as the archaeological evidence shows, the wall of Camulodunum was built in the years 65 to 80 AD. This can certainly be linked to the events surrounding the Boudicca uprising. Significant parts of the wall are still standing today.

Circus

South of the city, outside the city walls, were the remains of a circus (horse racing track). So far it is the only circus in Roman Britain. The building was once about 450 meters long and was built in the second century.

Residential development

Remnants of residential buildings were found during excavations throughout the city. Accordingly, the city was densely built up with houses, but there were also numerous free areas within the city, especially around the city wall, which were used for gardens or agriculture. During the excavations, it was possible to observe in various places in the city how the military camp was converted into a civil town. After the soldiers left, the barracks were converted into houses. The buildings of this time were partly made of wood and had wattle walls . Some of the rooms were painted. This city was burned down in 60/61. Excavations have found many charred organic materials that would otherwise have passed away. In one house there were still charred fruits (plums and dates). In another house, the remains of a bed and the heavily charred remains of the sheets have been found. Some of the bed sheets were even able to reconstruct the patterns with which they were decorated.

Extensive remains of the city were excavated from 1971 to 1974 on the Lion Walk . These are Insula XXXVI and XXXVIII. In Insula XXXVI the remains of two large peristyle houses came to light. The remains were not well preserved, but some rooms were furnished with hypocausts and mosaics. The mosaics were partly decorated with figures and of high quality, but are not well preserved.

A large part of the “ Insulae XXXIV” and “Insulae XXXV” could also be excavated. A shopping center was built and rescue excavations took place in 1981/1982 and 1984/85, but for financial reasons not all of the remains could be examined and parts of the ancient buildings were not abandoned unexamined for destruction. In "Insula XXXV" there was a large peristyle house (house number 123, according to the excavators' count). It is the largest residential building excavated in the city to date. It was built in the second half of the second century and was probably inhabited until the fourth century. It measured about 36 x 40 meters. At least four rooms had mosaics. Some rooms had wall paintings. There were also remnants of marble and stone cladding that may have once adorned the walls. A panther head made of Parian marble probably comes from a marble table and underlines the wealth of the former residents. Some rooms had a basement. Extensive remains of window glass were found. A large hall was lower than the other rooms and was decorated with a mosaic. The excavators suspect that this room served as a sanctuary.

The neighboring houses were mostly smaller, often also had a courtyard and were also decorated with mosaics . In the north of the city, outside the city walls, two residential buildings were excavated in 1979. The larger building was grouped around a courtyard on three sides, the fourth side not yet being excavated and perhaps also being built on. There was a workshop or shop facing the street. different rooms had mosaics. A figuratively decorated mosaic shows two wrestling erotes in the middle. The figures are not well preserved, but they are among the best images on mosaics of Roman Britain. Fantastic marine animals are shown in side panels. A frame shows tendrils in which birds sit. The mosaic dates back to the 2nd century AD. Other mosaics in the house are poorly preserved and seem to have been of a simpler design. A total of about 76 mosaics come from the city. Most show stylized floral or geometric patterns.

  • Mosaic from Colchester with erotes as wrestlers in midfield

  • Fragment of wall painting depicting gladiators

  • Panther head from a house in Camulodunum

Late antiquity

Remains of a late antique church

In the 4th century AD, the city, like other places in Britain, lost many of its inhabitants, and large areas of the former urban area remained undeveloped. A cemetery to the south of the city wall dates from this time. 660 graves could be excavated. An older cemetery dates to before the fourth century. The graves were oriented north-south and were rich in grave goods. In the fourth century, another cemetery was laid out here, which simply covered the older burials in part. The burials are now oriented in an east-west direction. Gifts are rather rare and are more likely to be found in children's burials. The burials were close together and it can be assumed that Christians were buried here. Most of the corpses were buried in wooden coffins. There was a church on the edge of the cemetery. It was built around 330 AD and fell into disrepair in the 5th century. The building was a good 20 meters long and had an apse to the east . Since it was found next to the cemetery, it may have been used primarily as a cemetery church. The remains of the church are preserved and can be seen in a small park. A basilica was found in the south of the city, within the city walls. It was assumed that the remains of a church are also involved, but this is uncertain and an interpretation as a memory is also possible.

Camelot

Because of the similar sound of the name and the earlier meaning of the city, Camulodunum has often been associated with Camelot , the legendary residence of King Arthur . Even considering historical roots for the myth, it is very unlikely to be related. Camelot is not mentioned in the Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain"), written by Geoffrey of Monmouth around 1135 , which had a strong influence on the later Arthurian poetry. Colchester, the city that emerged from the Colonia Victricensis, Camulodunum, found its way into the history of the Geoffrey of Monmouth. It is represented as the residence of King Coel , who is said to have lived in the 4th century AD. Coel is also a historically undetectable ruler.

In the Middle Ages, various Latin texts that mentioned Camulodunum were known, but the knowledge of the exact location of the city in Britain and the historical connection with Colchester had been forgotten. This geographical attribution was only restored in the second half of the 18th century.

Around the year 500 AD, in which the historical model for the legendary King Arthur might have lived, the east coast of England had already been occupied by the Saxons. The former Camulodunum was largely destroyed and abandoned. So it cannot have been the city ​​of Camelot from the Arthurian epic first described by Chrétien de Troyes at the end of the 12th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Geography of Ptolemy. ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.roman-britain.org
  2. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. 52.
  3. ↑ Claude Lepelley (Ed.): Rome and the Empire in the High Imperial Era. Vol. 2: The regions of the empire. de Gruyter, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-598-77449-4 , p. 217.
  4. ^ Sheppard Sunderland Frere: Britannia: a history of Roman Britain. Routledge, 1987, ISBN 978-0710212153 , p. 72.
  5. ↑ The name is not clearly passed down; Colonia Claudia Victrix or Colonia Claudia Victrix Augusta is also possible, Colonia Victricensis is rather unlikely . Cf. Lawrence JF Keppie: Legions and veterans: Roman army papers 1971-2000 (=  Mavors. Roman Army Researches, Volume 12), Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 978-3-515-07744-6 , p. 304.
  6. ^ John Stewart Wacher: Coming of Rome (Britain Before the Conquest). Routledge, 1979, ISBN 978-0710003126 , p. 74.
  7. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. P. 57.
  8. ^ Tacitus: Annals. 14, 29-39.
  9. ^ Anthony Richard Birley : The Roman government of Britain. Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-19-925237-4 , p. 49.
  10. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. 109-110.
  11. ↑ Wacher: Towns of Roman Britain. 128.
  12. ^ H. Cool in: P. Crummy: Colchester Archeologigal reposrt 6. 118.
  13. ↑ Annalen, 14:31.
  14. ↑ Apocolocyntosis , 8.3.
  15. ^ Remains of 'extraordinary' Roman arcade found in Colchester.
  16. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. Pp. 59-60.
  17. ^ Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. 117-119.
  18. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Colchester 1984, ISBN 0950372749 , pp. 123-126.
  19. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 6: Excavations at Ciulver Street, the Gilbert School, and other sites in Colchester 1971-85. Colchester 1992, ISBN 0-9503727-9-X , 108-112.
  20. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. 109.
  21. ^ Roman Colchester.
  22. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Colchester 1984, ISBN 0950372749 , pp. 37-49.
  23. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Colchester 1984, ISBN 0950372749 , pp. 52-57.
  24. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 6: Excavations at Ciulver Street, the Gilbert School, and other sites in Colchester 1971-85. Colchester 1992, ISBN 0-9503727-9-X , 96-108.
  25. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 3: Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex. Colchester 1984, ISBN 0950372749 , pp. 159-174.
  26. ^ Neal, Cosh: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume III, South-East Britain. Pp. 131-138.
  27. ↑ Crummy: City of Victory. Pp. 120-124.
  28. ^ Philip Crummy: Colchester Archaeological Report 6: Excavations at Ciulver Street, the Gilbert School, and other sites in Colchester 1971-85. Colchester 1992, ISBN 0-9503727-9-X , 112-116.
  29. ↑ Official letter from the Colchester Museum in response to inquiries regarding Camelot .

literature

  • Philip Crummy: City of Victory. Colchester 1997, 2001 (repr.). ISBN 1-897719-04-3 .
  • David S. Neal, Stephen R. Cosh: Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume III, South-East Britain. Part I, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-85431-289-4 , pp. 83-140.
  • John Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. Routledge, London / New York 1997, ISBN 0-415-17041-9 , pp. 112-132.

Web links

Commons : Camulodunum  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 54 '  N , 0 ° 54'  E