| Verulamium | |
|---|---|
 Remains of the city walls, with distinctive Roman brick tiles. St Albans Cathedral is in the background. | |
| Location | Hertfordshire, England |
| Coordinates | 51°45′00″N0°21′14″W / 51.7500°N 0.3539°W /51.7500; -0.3539 |
| OS grid reference | TL136070 |
  Location of Verulamium in Hertfordshire Show map of Hertfordshire Verulamium (England) Show map of England | |
Verulamium was a town inRoman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city ofSt Albans inHertfordshire,England. The major ancient Roman routeWatling Street passed through the city, but was realigned in medieval times to bring trade to St Albans. It was about a day's walk from London.
A large portion of the Roman city remains unexcavated, being now park and agricultural land, although due to ploughing on the privately owned agricultural half of the city a lot of damage has been done, as proven by parts of mosaic floors that have been found on the surface, and results of ground penetrating radar show outlines of buildings as smudges rather than clearly defined walls like those protected by the parkland. Part of the Roman city has been built upon, such as the small settlement around the Anglo-SaxonSt Michael's Church.[1] Much of the site and its environs is now ascheduled monument.[2]
Before the Romans established their settlement, there was already a tribal centre in the area which belonged to theCatuvellauni. This settlement is usually calledVerlamion. The etymology is uncertain but the name has beenreconstructed as *Uerulāmion, which would have a meaning like "[the tribe or settlement] of the broad hand" (Uerulāmos) inBrittonic.[3] In this pre-Roman form, it was among the first places inBritain recorded by name. The settlement was established byTasciovanus, who minted coins there.
The Roman settlement was granted the rank ofmunicipium around AD 50, meaning its citizens had what were known as "Latin Rights", a lesser citizenship status than acolonia possessed. It grew to a significant town, and as such received the attentions ofBoudica of theIceni in 61, when Verulamium was sacked and burnt on her orders: a black ash layer has been recorded by archaeologists, thus confirming the Roman written record. The rebuilt town grew steadily; by the early 3rd century, it covered an area of about 125 acres (0.51 km2), behind a deep ditch and wall. It is the location of the martyrdom of the first British martyr saint,Saint Alban, who was a Roman patrician converted by the priestAmphibalus.[4]
Verulamium contained aforum,basilica and atheatre, much of which were damaged during two fires, one in 155 and the other in around 250. One of the few extant Roman inscriptions in Britain was found in the remnants of the forum (seeVerulamium Forum inscription). The town was rebuilt instone rather thantimber at least twice over the next 150 years. Occupation by the Romans ended between AD 400 and 450.
As well as the items in the museum, there are a few remains of the Roman city visible, including
Although there are other Roman theatres in Britain (for example atCamulodunum), the one at Verulamium has been claimed[5] to be the only full excavated example of its kind, being a theatre with a stage rather than anamphitheatre. The theatre is on the grounds of and therefore run by the Gorhambury Estate.[6]
More remains under the nearby agricultural land which have never been excavated were for a while seriously threatened by deepploughing.Although recent results of GPR ( ground penetrating radar) have revealed more damage than originally thought has been done to most buildings, especially the north western part of the old Roman city.
Verulamium is mentioned in a Latin inscription on awax tablet, dated to AD 62, discovered in London during the Bloomberg excavations, 2010–14:[7]
- P(ublio) Mario Ce<lso=XIII> L(ucio) Afinio Gallo co(n)s(ulibus) XII Kal(endas) Nove//mbr(es) M(arcus) Renn[iu]s Venusrus me condux{s}isse a C(aio) Valerio Proculo ut intra Idus Novembres perferret a [[Londi]] Verulamio penoris onera viginti in singula |(denarii) quadrans vecturae ea condicione ut per me mora |(assem) I Londinium quod si ulnam om[n]e[m]
In the consulship of Publius Marius Celsus and Lucius Afinius Gallus, on the 12th day before the Kalends of November (21 October AD 62). I, Marcus Rennius Venustus, (have written and say that) I have contracted with Gaius Valerius Proculus that he bring from Verulamium by the Ides of November (13 November) 20 loads of provisions at a transport-charge of one-quarter denarius for each, on condition that … one as … to London; but if … the whole …[8]
St Albans Abbey and the associatedAnglo-Saxon settlement were founded on a hill outside the Roman city. The site of the abbey may have been a location where there was reason to believe thatSt Alban was executed or buried. More certainly, the abbey is near the site of a Roman cemetery, which, as was normal in Roman times, was outside the city walls. It is unknown whether there are Roman remains under the medieval abbey. An archaeological excavation in 1978, directed byMartin Biddle, failed to find Roman remains on the site of the medievalchapter house.[9]
David Nash Ford identifies the community as theCair Mincip[10] ("FortMunicipium") listed byNennius among the 28 cities ofBritain in hisHistory of the Britons.[11] As late as the eighth century the Saxon inhabitants of St Albans nearby were aware of their ancient neighbour, which they knew alternatively asVerulamacæstir or, under whatH. R. Loyn terms "their own hybrid",Vaeclingscæstir, "the fortress of the followers of Wæcla".[12]
The city was quarried for building material for the construction of medieval St Albans; indeed, much of theNorman abbey was constructed from the remains of the Roman city, with Roman brick and stone visible. The modern city takes its name fromAlban, either a citizen ofVerulamium or aRoman soldier, who was condemned to death in the 3rd century for shelteringAmphibalus, aChristian. Alban was converted by him to Christianity, and by virtue of his death, Alban became the first British Christianmartyr.
Since much of the modern city and its environs are built over Roman remains, it is still common to unearth Roman artefacts several miles away. A complete tilekiln was found inPark Street some six miles (9.7 km) from Verulamium in the 1970s, and there is a Roman mausoleum nearRothamsted Park five miles (8.0 km) away.
Within the walls of ancientVerulamium, theElizabethan philosopher, essayist and statesmanSir Francis Bacon built a "refined small house" calledVerulam House that was thoroughly described by the 17th century diaristJohn Aubrey. No trace of it is left, but Aubrey noted, "At Verulam is to be seen, in some few places, some remains of the wall of this [Roman] Citie".
Moreover, when Bacon was ennobled in 1618, he took the titleBaron Verulam afterVerulamium. The barony became extinct after he died without heirs in 1626.
This title was revived in 1790 forJames Grimston, a Hertfordshire politician. He was later madeEarl of Verulam, a title still held by his descendants.
The Verulamium Museum, part ofSt Albans Museums, is on a site once occupied by theforum. It is now on the edge ofVerulamium Park.
The museum contains much information about the town, both as aRoman andIron Age settlement, plus Roman history in general. It was established following the excavations carried out byMortimer Wheeler and his wife,Tessa Wheeler, during the 1930s.It is run by thedistrict council.
It is noted for the large and colourful mosaics and many other artefacts, such aspottery, jewellery, tools andcoins, from the Roman period. Many items were found in formal excavations, but some, including theVerulamium Forum inscription and acoffin still containing a male skeleton, were unearthed nearby during building work.
Theasteroid4206 Verulamium was named in honour of the ancient city.
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