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Roman Britain

Camulodunum

Colchester, Essex

Roman Britain's first capital, burned by Boudicca.

Colchester, or Camulodunum, was the first capital of Roman Britain, and the Emperor Claudius himself came to see it captured in AD 43. A great temple was built to him.

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When
AD 43–61
Where
51.8900, 0.9030
Group
Roman Britain

Visiting

Colchester Castle was built on the temple's foundations, which you can see on a tour.

Cover of The Ledger of Lost Britain by Cale Mills
Read the full story in the book

The Ledger of Lost Britain

The Romans arrived in AD 43. For most people that is where the history of Britain begins. But by the time the legions landed, people had already been living on these islands for thousands of years. They had hunted, farmed, mined flint, dragged stones across the country, raised a hill by hand, and buried their dead in great tombs. They left no written words. What they left was the ground itself. Every place in this book can be visited, or has been dug up, or is in a museum.

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