Eboracum

Eboracum is the Latin name for the city now known as York, in northern England. It began as a Roman military fortress established around AD 71–74 to garrison Legio IX Hispana during campaigns in Britain; the fort was located at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss rivers. The fortress soon expanded to include a substantial civilian settlement (vicus) outside its walls, forming the basis of a thriving urban center.

Over time Eboracum grew into a major urban center and the administrative capital of the province Britannia Inferior. The city attracted soldiers, traders, and craftsmen, and later developed typical Roman features such as stone walls, gates, baths, and a forum. In 306 AD, Constantine the Great was proclaimed emperor at Eboracum, a moment that underscores the city’s prominence in the late empire.

The Roman presence in Britain waned in the early 5th century, and Eboracum was gradually abandoned as a formal administrative center. Nevertheless, the settlement persisted around the Roman core and later contributed to the medieval city of York. Archaeological remains at the site, including evidence of the legionary fortress and the civilian vicus, have been uncovered through excavations, notably at Coppergate and other parts of the modern city. These finds illuminate the scale of the Roman town and its enduring influence on York’s development.

The name Eboracum is the Latin form of a local Brittonic place name; the precise etymology is uncertain. The link between Eboracum and the modern city name York is well established, reflecting a continuous link from Roman Britain to the medieval and present-day city.