roman london

Boudicca massacred 80,000 people on her way to infamy, as she left Colchester, London and St Albans little more than smouldering husks in 60AD. And it's no surprise to learn that her appearance matched her bloodthirsty attitude. Boudicca was "a great big busty woman," says expert Mark Hassall, "with a blonde mass of hair falling down to her shoulders.

With all the buzz going on about the Ancient World in London Bloggers' Challenge 2 competition, I thought I'd weigh in with my own favourite ancient site in London - the grave of the Female Gladiator in Southwark.

Now, admittedly, this is a classic case of the experience of the ancient world involving standing in front of one of those blue ceramic plaques imagining what a wild find was made there, since there's nothing else to see. However, this is pretty inspirational stuff. The site, at 159 Great Dover Street in Southwark, was excavated in 2000 by the British Museum.

While human footprints lead back thousands of years to prehistoric times, the seeds of modern London were sown in 43AD when Claudius crossed the Channel to claim Britain for the Roman Empire. He put a bridge across the river Thames and built a city called Londinium. Now, London is a thriving, heaving, sprawling metropolis, a bustling crossroads of cultures and languages, and a rich modern economy that draws ideas and artists and entrepreneurs.

With HK's Ancient World in London set to launch this month, we've put together this list of books to help you get to know the city just that little bit better, and understand how history has helped shape and define one of the world's great modern cities.

Choose between general histories, books for kids, maps and more - or get fully clued up about one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations by covering all the bases.