Find out more about … Roman London
 Facts and figures
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Londinium was the first true town in Britain.
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The name Londinium is of British not Roman origin. Many scholars have tried to work out what it means, but no-one knows for certain.
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London was a Roman city for over 350 years, from before AD50 to after AD400. New York has been in existence for nearly as long, Sydney for just 200 years. The Roman emperors were in power for longer than all the kings and queens of England from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II.
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Londinium was by far the largest city in Britannia, and occupied an area of over 330 acres (130 hectares).
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The Roman city wall was about 21 feet (6.4m) high and over 2 miles (3.2km) long around the perimeter. It has been calculated that some 86,000 tonnes of stone was used to build it.
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We know the names of over a hundred Roman Londoners: men, women, children, soldiers, merchants, civil servants, ex-slaves and slaves.
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The great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, could reasonably claim to have been London’s first true archaeologist. He recorded Roman remains under St Paul’s Cathedral and elsewhere. But earlier, around 1600, John Stow had described the discovery of Roman coins and burials on building sites.
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Description of image(s) on this page
Gold medallion: Struck in AD296 and showing the Thames in the foreground and the walled city of Londinium on the right. This is earliest surviving picture of London.
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Background Information | High Street Londinium
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