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    Discover London Through History

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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) Behind the scenes

    The Roman princess of Spitalfields

    Sr Curator of Archaeology, Dr Rebecca Redfern’s interest in the intriguing Spitalfields Princess spans over two decades!

    the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron designed by Thomas Heatherwick Sports

    The magic of the 2012 London Olympics cauldron

    Did you know you can find the 2012 London Olympics cauldron in the Museum of London collection?

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    roman temple of mithras Roman London

    Quiz: Guess the Roman London 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?

    ‘Mermaid slinkiness’ in 1930s’ London fashion, Bassano Studio (ID no.: IN11903) Look of London

    ‘Mermaid slinkiness’ in 1930s’ London fashion

    In this edition of our fashion series, we delve into female fashions of the 1930s.

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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

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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.
  • Roman-London.jpg
  • 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

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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.

Roman-London.jpg

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:

10am-5pm, Monday-Sunday

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

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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