Where was Verulamium located in Roman Britain?
Verulamium was located southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England. The major Roman road Watling Street passed through it, and it was about a day's walk from London.
Questions about Verulamium
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What happened to Verulamium during the Boudican revolt in AD 61?
Boudica of the Iceni ordered Verulamium sacked and burned in AD 61. Archaeologists confirmed the event by identifying a layer of black ash beneath the site, matching the Roman written record.
What did the Bloomberg wax tablet discovered in London say about Verulamium?
The Bloomberg wax tablet, discovered during excavations in London between 2010 and 2014, is a shipping contract dated the 21st of October, AD 62. It records that Marcus Rennius Venustus contracted with Gaius Valerius Proculus to carry 20 loads of provisions from Verulamium to London by the 13th of November, at a transport charge of one quarter of a denarius per load.
Who was Saint Alban and what was his connection to Verulamium?
Saint Alban was a man living at Verulamium who was condemned to death in the 3rd century for sheltering a Christian priest named Amphibalus. He converted to Christianity before his execution and became the first British Christian martyr. The modern city of St Albans takes his name.
Why did Francis Bacon name his barony after the Roman city of Verulamium?
Francis Bacon chose the title Baron Verulam in 1618 because of his connection to the ancient Roman city of Verulamium, within whose old walls he had built a house called Verulam House, described by the diarist John Aubrey as "a refined small house." Bacon died without heirs in 1626 and the barony became extinct, before being revived in 1790 for James Grimston, a Hertfordshire politician later made Earl of Verulam.
What Roman remains can be seen at Verulamium today?
Visible remains at Verulamium include the theatre, claimed as the only fully excavated Roman theatre with a stage in Britain, along with sections of city walls and a hypocaust still in place beneath a mosaic floor. The Verulamium Museum, established after the 1930s excavations by Mortimer Wheeler and Tessa Wheeler, holds mosaics, pottery, jewellery, tools, and coins from the Roman period.