Isca

Isca is a historical toponym used in Roman Britain for at least two settlements named in Latin sources, both situated near rivers in what are now England and Wales. The name is thought to be of Brythonic origin, associated with the local watercourses, though the exact meaning remains uncertain.

Isca Dumnoniorum refers to the site at the mouth of the River Exe in what is now Exeter, Devon. It was the principal town of the Dumnonii, the western British tribe in the province of Britannia. Originating as a Roman fort in the 1st century CE, Isca Dumnoniorum developed into a civilian urban center and administrative hub that persisted into late antiquity. Today, Exeter preserves remains and street names that reflect its Roman heritage, and archaeology continues to reveal the layout and public buildings of the ancient town.

Isca Augusta denotes the Roman fortress and settlement at Caerleon by the River Usk, near present-day Newport, Wales. Established in the 1st century CE, it became a major legionary fortress—often associated with the II Augusta—before evolving into a civilian town. Caerleon’s Roman remains include extensive fortifications, baths, and other public works, making it one of the best-preserved Roman military sites in Britain. The site has yielded important archaeological evidence about military and urban life in Roman Britannia.

In broader terms, the toponym Isca appears in several Latin records to refer to these river-adjacent places, illustrating how Roman naming linked towns to their waterways.