Durovernum Cantiacorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Canterbury, located in the English county of Kent. Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120. ... Britannia on a 2005 £2 coin. ... Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent in South East England and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate of All England, head of the Church of England and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ...

Origins

Durovernum is the Latin form of the Brythonic Durovernon referring to the Iron Age oppidum which existed on the site, with a triple-ditched homestead at its centre. Not long after the the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, a Roman fort was established there and military occupation continued until at least AD 60. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Brython and Brythonic are terms which refer to indigenous, pre-Roman, Celtic speaking inhabitants of most of the island of Great Britain, and their cultures and languages, the Brythonic languages. ... In the British Isles, the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non-Romanised parts. ... An oppidum (pl: oppida) was Latin for the main settlement in any administrative area of the Roman Empire. ... Britain was the target of invasion by forces of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire several times during its history. ... Events Aulus Plautius, with 4 legions, landed on Britain. ... Basic ideal plan of a Roman castrum. ... Events Boudicca sacks London (approximate date). ...

Development

It was not until the withdrawal of the army that Durovernum expanded on any significant scale, and it became the civitas capital of the Cantiaci tribes. A large religious and administrative complex was soon established at its centre, consisting of forum and basilica, temple enclosure and theatre. The theatre, originally built around AD 80, was totally rebuilt in the early 3rd century. It was probably associated with religious festivals as much as the dramatic arts. The public baths were just to the north-east. A number of other possible temple and/or church sites have also been identified. The town was enclosed by defensive walls in the late 3rd century and was given single-arched gateways. Private buildings within the walls were originally of timber, but were later replaced with stone and some furnished with mosaic floors. An extensive complex of wooden pipes serviced the town. Industries included brick, tile and pottery production, as well as bronze working. There were many commercial shops, notably a baker's shop with donkey-driven millstone. Cemeteries outside the town apparently continued in Christian use and St Martin's Church appears to be built around an old Roman mausoleum which stood in one of these. In the history of the Roman empire, civitas (pl. ... The Cantiaci were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands, previous to the Roman invasion of Britain. ... The Forum of Jerash, in Jordan. ... St. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an ancient Greek Doric temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Events By place Roman Empire The Emperor Titus inaugurates the Flavian Amphitheatre with 100 days of games. ... // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... Roman public baths in Bath, England. ... Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The churchyard of St. ... St. ...

Decline

Because of its links with Gaul, Durovernum seems to have survived in good order until the Romans administration left around AD 410. However, after that, its decline was rapid. Hired mercenaries were used to defend the town, but they revolted and, by the time of the Battle of Aylesford in the mid-5th century, the Anglo-Saxons had taken over the area. Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... The Roman departure from Britain was nearly completed by 400. ... Events Alaric I deposes Priscus Attalus as Roman Emperor. ... The Battle of Aylesford or Epsford or Aegelesthrep was fought in 455 AD between Saxon invaders and the native Romano-Britons near Aylesford in the English county of Kent. ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 - 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ...

Remains

• The Canterbury Roman Museum houses Roman artefacts from across the town, as well as an in situ Roman town house and its mosaics.

References

• Wacher, John (1995). The Towns of Roman Britain. London: B T Batsford.