Boudicca‘s Rebellion occurred between 60-61AD. Instigated by the Iceni, it saw the tribes of Britain rising against their Roman conquerors.
Tacitus identified Colchester, London and St Albans as the three Roman towns that were the rebellion’s focal points. The archaeology of these towns certainly suggests that a revolt occurred as described in the ancient sources. But they are not the only towns in Britain that show evidence of a violent uprising.
Colchester, A Roman Town
Camulodunum or Colchester was the pre-roman capital of the Trinovantes, one of the first British tribes to join the Iceni in rebellion. It was the rebels’ first target, because — according to Tacitus — once they drove the Trinovantes out after the initial conquest of Britain, the Romans claimed Colchester and reshaped it as a Roman town.
Ex Roman soldiers settled in Colchester. However, despite this, the town was easy to attack because public amenities had been put before defences. Ironically, one of those amenities, the temple of Claudius, became the city’s inhabitants’ chief refuge before falling after a two-day siege.
The layer of archaeology dating to the time of the revolt is up to half a metre deep in places. It also shows that early Roman Colchester was destroyed by fire. The remains of fire-damaged buildings and goods have been discovered: charred fragments of wattle, daub, timber and clay floors baked red by the heat of significant blazes.
This destruction was not accidental. Warehouses of pottery have also been found with all the goods smashed during the conflict.
Londiunium, A Port of Roman Britain
Although not a major Roman settlement at the time of the Boudiccan revolt, Roman London or Londinium was a major port and trade centre. Tacitus explains it was a target for the rebels because of its wealth and the fact that it was again underdefended.
The archaeology of London is often hard to read because of its many layers of occupation. Although finds such as the Walbrook skulls suggested that some of the city’s inhabitants met with violent deaths in the early Roman period, it was hard to find evidence to show that the Roman town itself was destroyed.
The evidence was found during the 1930s by Gerald Dunning. Dunning had noticed that early Roman pottery found around the city was damaged by fire. The pots were finished goods and otherwise undamaged. It was as if the warehouses storing them had burnt around them.
Dunning looked at the excavation reports for the locations where the pottery was found. In each case, he found evidence of fire damage. Clay sub-layers were baked red as if subjected to intense heat. Other finds, such as coins, also showed evidence of fire damage.
Dunning plotted the locations. In this way, he was able to identify that the commercial heart of the Roman settlement — an area roughly around modern London Bridge — had been destroyed at a period contemporary with Colchester’s destruction.
St Albans, A Roman Municipium
Verulamium, or modern St Albans, was a mainly British settlement at the time of the revolt. It was also a Roman municipum or provincial town — an honour bestowed by the emperor Claudius as a reward for services rendered, as the inhabitants of Verulamium had collaborated with the Romans since the time of the conquest and grown rich. This marked the town out for destruction by the rebels.
The archaeology of Verulamium shows that the town adopted a Roman plan very early during the Roman period, verifying the collaboration theory as it suggests Roman help. Furthermore, the early Roman destruction layer shares similar characteristics to that of Londinium and Colchester with one difference; there are very few finds. This suggests that the people of Verulamium may have fled with many of their goods before the rebellion reached them.
Evidence from Silchester
Silchester was, in the early 60’s AD, a British tribal centre to the south of Colchester, London and St Albans. While Tacitus does not mention it, Professor Michael Fulford has found evidence for widespread destruction by burning contemporary with the so-called Boudiccan revolt.
Professor Fulford’s excavations have identified burnt layers and filled in wells. The findings are significant because they show that the extent of the rebellion went beyond that of Tacitus’s account.
The archaeology also shows some of the reactions to old British culture after the revolt, for Silchester was not only rebuilt but realigned. The orientation of the native British town followed the path of the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. This was altered by 45 degrees during the rebuild.
In the revolt’s aftermath, it seems Silchester — which was pro-Roman; hence its destruction — seems to have decided to eradicate the last traces of its Celtic heritage. It reshaped itself on the lines of a Roman town, discarding elements that related to the old ways.
Perhaps the citizens were showing allegiance to Rome or embracing Roman ways at the expense of their own. Or maybe the change was enforced. But the abandonment of such a key cultural feature shows how post-Boudiccan Silchester, like many British settlements, became a full Roman town.
Resources
“Did Silchester Suffer Boudicca’s Wrath?” The Times, (18th September 2010)
Grant, M (Trans) (1990). Tacitus, Annuals of Imperial Rome. Guild Publishing: London
Webster, G, (1993). Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60. Bt Batsford Ltd: London
