Submitted by Nick Gilbert on Tue, 03/16/2010 - 12:34
Re-invented by the Victorians, under the name of Boadicea, Boudicca (starring in this Ancient World in London video) was presented as an idol of nationalism, of British warrior tradition and, somewhat incongruently, as a figurehead of imperialism, even though this was the thing she had fought against. Her statue sits directly opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, overlooking the River Thames at the very heart of London. There she stands in her chariot looking over the city like some kind of fierce guardian angel for the British. But what is she doing there? Should we really be touting Boudicca as a hero?
Submitted by Sean Williams on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 19:17
What's 84 miles long, 1,888 years old and marked the edge of Roman rule in Britain? Hadrian's Wall of course - and the landmark got a spectacular makeover this weekend with a line of beacons stretching its entirety. The event, named 'Illuminating Hadrian's Wall', marked the 1,600th anniversary of the end of the Roman occupation in Britain, and needed no fewer than 1,100 hardy volunteers to brave the harsh winds of northern England to make it happen.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Sun, 03/14/2010 - 16:39
I'm sitting on the 15.49 to London Euston from Carlisle. It's boiling hot, the Cumbrian countryside is disappearing behind me and my jumper smells like yesterday's paper. But I'm happy, because we've just hah a hell of a week at the Hadrian's Wall illuminations. I've seen it on the news from my hotel, but I guarantee you it was even better in the flesh: and that's what we'll be recreating in our next Ancient World in London video.
Mark Hassall is a retired archaeologist who has worked on a host of major Roman and British sites around the country. He has also excavated at many famous sites around the world, such as the ancient Greek city of Knidos.
A former reader of Roman Archaeology at University College London's Institute of Archaeology, Mark has published tens of books on his specialist subject, including The Defence of Britain in the 4th century and Pre-Hadrianic legionary dispositions in Britain. Mark has also penned a Young Archaeologist book called, simply, The Romans.
2010 marks the 1600th anniversary of the end of Roman Britain in AD 410 and one of the greatest turning points in British history. Archaeological finds make clear that at that point in time, the country was in a state of economical decline. But was it fire and sword, barbarian raids, peasant risings and tribal warfare, or did the change from Roman to Anglo-Saxon rule happen more gradually? These questions will be the focus of 'The End of Roman Britain', a national two day conference at the British Museum taking place this weekend.
1600 years ago, the Romans left Britain. 'The End of Roman Lincolnshire' at the University of Lincoln (in conjunction with RESCUE - The British Archaeological Trust) is part of the AD 410 anniversary celebrations.
The programme:
Late Roman Settlements in Lincolnshire by Dr. Steve Malone
The rural economy by Mike Wood
Changing times at the Piddington Villa by Roy Friendship-Taylor
Late Roman hoarding in East Anglia by Jude Plouviez
The use of precious metals in Late Roman Lincolnshire by Adam Daubney
Late Roman pottery in Lincolnshire by Alex Beeby
Roman to Saxon in the Fens by Tom Lane
The Demise of Roman Lincoln by Dr. Mick Jones
Dark Age, Sub-Roman, Anglo-Saxon: What should we call Lincolnshire in the 5th and 6th Centuries? by Tom Green
Drapers' Gardens is a site in the City of London occupied during Roman times then left unsettled for millenia - because of heavy waterlogging from tributaries of the River Walbrook - until 1967 when an eponymous skyscraper was erected there. When this skyscraper was demolished, ahead of a new building being erected, an archaeological survey was carried out at the site, revealing a wealth of highly-preserved Roman remains - effectively a microcosm of Roman Londinium.
The remains dated from 63 AD to 383 AD, and included 19 metal vessels - possibly hidden in a well by a wealthy family during a Saxon raid on the city - as well as hundreds of brooches, a wooden door with its original hinges, a ruler, various Roman roads and wooden bridges, and even the skull of a bear, which may have died in a nearby ampitheatre. The artefacts are now in the possession of the Museum of London.
Around 120 AD the Romans constructed the 'Pons Aelius', the first bridge to cross the River Tyne. A wooden fort was then built to protect the river crossing. It was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the bridge. You can see a 3D reconstruction of the Pons Aelius bridge and Roman fort here. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in AD400, in the Notitia Dignitatum, a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts.
At some point during the Anglo-Saxon era, the site of Newcastle became known as Monkchester and a cemetery was established on the site of the Roman fort. In 1080 William I's son Robert Curthose began the building of a 'New Castle' where the Pons Aelius fort once stood. It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. No trace of the Norman castle remains today. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep. The Castle Keep and Blackgate can be visited today.
This weekend Hadrian's Wall will be put in the spotlight - quite literally - when approximately 500 beacons will illuminate the 84 mile wall in its entirety. It will surely be a memorable sight (and one to capture on video, in pixels, and in Tweets)! As we're all anxiously awaiting the weekend, let's have a look at how Hadrian's Wall, and the bridge and fort complex nearby called the Pons Aelius, might have looked in 200AD!
The history of Newcastle begins about AD120, when Roman engineers constructed the first bridge across the River Tyne. The bridge was called 'Pons Aelius' - meaning 'Bridge of Aelius' - a reference to Emperor Hadrian's family name.
After reading this title you’re probably asking yourself – why on earth would one consider a marketplace to be the most important ancient spot in London? London certainly has finds that lend more to the imagination. The Temple of Mithras was dedicated to the Persian god of light and the sun, Gladiators duelled in out in the Roman Amphitheatre, – and if we’re willing to look outside of London – Colchester had a Roman circus that has just been saved.
So why did I choose a marketplace as my answer the question posed by Bloggers Challenge 2?
I'm sitting on the 15.49 to London Euston from Carlisle. It's boiling hot, the Cumbrian countryside is disappearing behind me and my jumper smells like yesterday's paper. But I'm happy, because we've just hah a hell of a week at the 
2010 marks 
This weekend Hadrian's Wall will be put in the spotlight - quite literally - when approximately 500 beacons will illuminate the 84 mile wall in its entirety. It will surely be a memorable sight (
After reading this title you’re probably asking yourself – why on earth would one consider a marketplace to be the most important ancient spot in London? London certainly has finds that lend more to the imagination. The 
