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Museum of London

Roman London

Every month we bring to you a thematic selection of some amazing stories from our collection.

In this section

This month's theme is Londinium, and its stories.

  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Marvellous miniature Roman relics

    The Museum of London's Archaeological Archive houses a vast collection of more than one million objects, far more than we can display in our galleries. Delving into our stores, Glynn Davis selects three of the smallest items from our Roman collections, each with a big story behind them.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Unearthing the lost city of London

    Rarely-seen photographs reveal the efforts archaeologists made after the Second World War to uncover Roman remains in the bomb-damaged City of London prior to its rebuilding. Museum of London curator Meriel Jeater explains how these discoveries were made.

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  • temple of mithras, roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Quiz: Guess the Roman mystery object

    The Romans left us some weird and wonderful objects to find in our city. Can you guess what these artefacts from Londinium are?

     Play quiz here
  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Reading between the lines: women on Roman tomb monuments

    The stories of women are often less well documented than the stories of men, and this is true of life in Roman London. Senior Curator Francis Grew turns to an unusual source – Roman tomb monuments – to tell us more about Londinium’s female residents.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Roman rubbish reveals lost Londinium

    The Walbrook, one of the lost rivers flowing beneath London's streets, is a time capsule of Roman Londinium. For over 170 years, archaeologists have dug astonishingly well-preserved artefacts of the ancient city out of the waterlogged earth of the stream. Here are some tools and other everyday objects that show us what life was like for ordinary Roman Britons.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    The Walbrook skulls: a Roman murder mystery

    In 1988, the remains of thirty-nine Roman Londoners were discovered in the City of London, in what was once the Walbrook valley. Who were they, and how did they die? Dr. Rebecca Redfern reveals the scientific analysis that provides clues to answer an 1800-year-old mystery.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    The surprising diversity of Roman London

    The inhabitants of Londinium created new identities, mixing their place of origin, occupation and native customs together into something distinctly London. Dr Rebecca Redfern writes about new research revealing how our vision of Roman Londoners needs to change.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    These boots were made for Romans

    London possesses one of the most important collections of Roman leatherwork in the Empire. Recently, a project was undertaken to catalogue and reinterpret around 750 objects in the Museum of London’s collection of material, excavated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Around 90% of this material is footwear.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london, lgbtq roman london

    Uncovering LGBTQ Londinium

    London’s queer history starts much earlier than you might guess. Curator Francis Grew explores how recent scholarship reveals the presence of same-sex love in Roman London, and how different those relationships were from modern LGBTQ+ lifestyles.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Unearthing the Roman Dead

    Londoners have been digging up Roman relics for centuries. Meriel Jeater, one of the co-curators of Roman Dead, explores archaeology past and present.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london, gladiator

    Watch Gladiator Games at the Guildhall

    1600 years ago, a Roman arena dominated the city of Londinium, where the City Guildhall now stands. Here, Roman Britons could watch the hunting of wild beasts, criminal executions, and bloody gladiatorial combat. Watch the film to find out more about London's gory gladiatorial history.

     Watch the video
  • london executions, london crime history, london skulls, london underground, crime history uk

    Victims of the dark arts in Roman London

    Archaeology Curator Francis Grew immerses himself in Londinium’s deepest grooves, digging up the victims of dark magic and deadly curses.

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  • A woman depicted as a Roman laureate female, possibly a Muse, on one of a pair of miniature bracelet plaques made of gold. It is possible that the 18th century recipient of the plaques was named after the Muse and that the figure depicted is a delicate reference to the classical antecedents of her name. (ID no.: C1705)

    The Roman princess of Spitalfields

    Senior Curator Dr Rebecca Redfern first became interested in the intriguing Spitalfields Princess as she was excavated in 1999. Since then, as a student recording the excavation on VHS to now being responsible for her care, this is a fascinating and endearing story that spans two decades!

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    Ways to die in Roman London

    Caroline Lawrence's historical mysteries explore the world of the Roman Empire, from grandeur to gore. We spoke to her about her love of London's Roman history, and the inspirations she found in the Museum of London's collections.

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  • What’s the Roman connection to King Charles III’s coins?

    Decoding ‘special’ Roman and Medieval coins

    Many of us collect interesting-looking coins — often called commemorative coins. But did you know that the unusual designs have a fascinating history that goes back at least 2,000 years? Read on to find out more!

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  • (from left): A tettina that looks like a flagon (ID no: 2859); Roman stone sculpture of four mother goddesses (ID no.: 77.58); part of a pipeclay Roman mother-goddess figurine (ID no.: A243).

    Feeding the babies of Roman London

    What did babies eat in Roman London? How were they fed, or weaned? Just 60-150mm tall, these tiny vessels provide a rare insight into the culinary world of Roman infants and toddlers. Find out more.

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  • Marble relief showing transport of amphorae, from 2nd century CE. (Courtesy: Fletcher Fund,1925/The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

    Vinum Sulloniacis, the first British wine — in London!

    It’s common knowledge that the Romans brought wine-drinking culture to Britain. But who would have guessed that the first attempt to make British wine dates as far back as the 1st century CE? Sherds of wine jars found close to present-day London point to that surprising conclusion. The wine produced might not have been commercially successful, but full marks for effort.

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  • roman london, history of roman london, romans in london, londinium, roman wall london, roman excavations london

    London Stone in seven strange myths

    Curator Emeritus John Clark (formerly curator of the Museum of London’s medieval collections) examines the myths and the colourful cast of characters who created them, from William Blake to an eccentric Welsh priest.

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