Dominic Perring.
London in the Roman World.
OUP. 2022
London in the Roman World draws on the results of latest archaeological discoveries
to describe London’s Roman origins.
It presents a wealth of new information from one of the worlds richest
and most intensively studied archaeological sites,
and a host of original ideas concerning its economic and political history.
This magisterial study follows a narrative approach,
setting archaeological data firmly within their historical context.
London was perhaps converted from a fort built at the time of the Roman conquest,
where the emperor Claudius arrived to celebrate his victory in AD 43,
to become the commanding city from which Rome directed its military occupation of Britain.
London grew to support Rome’s campaigning forces,
and the book makes a close study of the social and economic consequences
of London’s role as a supply-base.
Rapid growth generated a new urban landscape,
and this study provides a comprehensive guide to the industry and architecture of the city.
The story traced from new archaeological research
shows how the city was destroyed in rebellions,
and suffered more lastingly from plagues of the second and third centuries.
These events had a critical bearing on the reforms of late antiquity,
from which London emerged as a defended administrative enclave
only to be deserted when Rome failed to maintain political control.
This ground-breaking study brings new information and arguments
to our study of the way in which Rome ruled, end how empire failed.