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    Discover London Through History

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    A lead alloy curse associated image Roman

    Victims of the dark arts in Roman London

    Learn about Londinium’s deepest grooves, digging up the victims of dark magic and deadly curses.

    Belsize-Park-Lisa-Randisi-discover-image.jpg Londoners

    Hackney caught on camera

    How can experimental photography teach us more about our communities? A Museum of London project in Hackney offers beautiful reflections of how Londoners see their home.

    Havering Hoard selection of objects associated image Behind the scenes

    Havering Hoard: Why so many axes?

    Discover why the inconspicuous axe was such an important tool during the Bronze Age.

    'Police out of Brixton' leaflet, 1981 associated image Black History

    From Brixton 1981 to BLM 2020: reflections on Black uprisings

    Exploring the ‘Brixton Riots’ oral history collection to discuss contemporary experiences of London uprisings against racism.

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Museum of London
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London Before London

450,000 BC – AD 50

Medieval London

410-1558

Permanent galleries

Roman London

AD 50-410

Discover how Londinium came to life and what daily life was like for Romans in the city 2,000 years ago

The Romans built the city where London now stands, bridging the Thames and creating Londinium. From around AD 50 to 410, this was the largest city in Britannia and a vital international port.

  • Tombstone of Claudia Martina, Roman Britain’s youngest recorded wife.
  • Roman tile with a name scratched into the surface.
  • Carved orange gemstone showing a Roman warship, rowed by four marines.
  • A pile of Roman gold coins
  • View from outside Roman London looking into what was once the fort and later part of the city wall.
  • A tessellated Roman pavement. The design of red, white, yellow, black and green tesserae is surrounded by a plain red border.
  • A model of the first bridge across the River Thames, where London Bridge now stands.
  • A statue from the temple of Mithras showing Mithras plunging his dagger into the neck of a bull.
  • The head and shoulders of a stone statue of a Roman soldier.
  • A stone table showing the first written record to use the word ‘Londoners’.

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

Tombstone of Claudia Martina, Roman Britain’s youngest recorded wife.

Tombstone to Claudia Martina, AD 150-200

At 19, Claudia Martina is Roman Britain’s youngest recorded wife. Her husband spared no expense on her tomb – even though he was a slave working for the local government.

Roman tile with a name scratched into the surface.

Austalis tile, AD 50-410

Working in a local brickyard, Austalis left his name scratched in to one of the bricks. Read what one of his co-workers added afterwards to see what they thought of him!

Carved orange gemstone showing a Roman warship, rowed by four marines.

Carved intaglio jewel, 3rd century AD

This carved gemstone shows a Roman warship, being rowed by four marines. Somehow, this precious object ended up in the river Thames, and was found buried in the foreshore.

A pile of Roman gold coins

Hoard of 43 Roman gold coins dating AD65-147

This hoard of golden coins was buried sometime in the 3rd century, probably to keep it safe from thieves. The owner never retrieved the hoard, and it was discovered in 2000.

View from outside Roman London looking into what was once the fort and later part of the city wall.

View of the wall, AD 120-1900

From the gallery you can view what remains of London’s city wall, a mix of Roman, medieval and Victorian building. 2000 years ago, this was a fort guarding the edge of the city.

A tessellated Roman pavement. The design of red, white, yellow, black and green tesserae is surrounded by a plain red border.

Bucklersbury Mosaic, AD 250

This mosaic caused a sensation when it was discovered in Queen Victoria Street in 1869. Over the three days before it was removed from the ground 50,000 visitors came to see it.

A model of the first bridge across the River Thames, where London Bridge now stands.

Londinium Bridge

This model shows how the Romans built the first bridge across the River Thames, where London Bridge now stands.

A statue from the temple of Mithras showing Mithras plunging his dagger into the neck of a bull.

Temple of Mithras, AD 240-410

The discovery of a Temple to Mithras in 1954 was a London sensation. This men-only mystery cult worshipped in a building on the banks of the Walbrook River for 100 years.

The head and shoulders of a stone statue of a Roman soldier.

Stone figure of a soldier, 1st - 2nd century

This statue represents one of the Roman legionary soldiers who occupied Britain from AD 43. After the Romans departed, it was re-used as building material for a Saxon house.

A stone table showing the first written record to use the word ‘Londoners’.

Londiniensi inscription, AD 160-170

This inscription is the first written record to use the word ‘Londoners’.

Gallery access

The gallery is open during the museum's normal hours:

11.30am - 3.30pm (Mon-Fri) & 10am-6pm (Sat & Sun)

The gallery is on the entrance floor and can be accessed by lift.

Free entry, timed ticket

Roman London also of interest

Enclosed boot from London, c.75-125 AD: 20004

These boots were made for Romans

What can we learn from these important finds?

Find out more

Roman London family walk

Roman London family walk

Walk the streets of old Londinium from the lost fort to the hidden amphitheatre.

Book now

Skull of a man

School workshops

We offer a range of interactive sessions for schools to help students learn about the Romans.

Book a school visit

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Update from the Museum of London

Following the recent Government announcement of a national lockdown, the Museum of London and the Museum of London Docklands will continue to be closed to the public.

The health and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and community is of utmost importance to us and we will closely review the advice from the Government and Public Health England as to when we can reopen.

While the museum buildings may be closed, we’re still open online with loads of content to keep you entertained. Check our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @MuseumOfLondon for all the latest news. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!