Camulodunum

Camulodunum is the Roman name for the settlement that became modern Colchester in Essex, England. It was established as a Roman colonia under the name Colonia Claudia Victricensis in the first century AD.

Archaeological highlights include visible lengths of Roman town wall, the large stone gateway known as the Balkerne Gate, and the buried remains of the Roman temple precinct beneath the Norman castle mound. Guided walks and displays in local museums concentrate on Roman urban layout, masonry, and artifacts.

Originally an Iron Age tribal centre for the Trinovantes, the site was occupied by the Romans after their invasion of AD 43 and formally established as a colonia around AD 49. It was sacked during the Boudican uprising of AD 60/61 and subsequently rebuilt and occupied through the later Roman period before evolving into the medieval town.

The site sits in the modern town of Colchester in Essex on the River Colne, roughly 80 km (about 50 miles) northeast of central London. Archaeological remains are concentrated around the town centre and the castle mound.

• Roman walls: Several well-preserved stretches of Roman town wall survive in and around the modern town centre and can be seen on short walking routes.
• Boudican destruction: The town was destroyed in the Boudican revolt of AD 60/61 and rebuilt as a Roman colonia, which shaped the street plan still visible in places today.

What to See #

• Balkerne Gate: Surviving sections of the Roman town wall and the Roman gateway known as the Balkerne Gate are visible; the gate is one of the largest surviving Roman gateways in Britain.
• Colchester Castle site: A Norman-era castle built on the footprint of the Roman temple precinct; the mound and foundations preserve traces of the Roman temple of Claudius underneath the medieval keep.
• Roman temple precinct and excavations: Remnants of the Roman temple precinct, street layouts and mosaics exposed through archaeological excavations across the town centre and at nearby sites.