Londinum

Londinum, usually Anglicized as Londinium, is the Latin name used for London during the Roman occupation of Britain. It was established by the Romans on the north bank of the River Thames in the area of present-day central London, near a crossing point that would later host London Bridge. Founded around AD 43 after the invasion of Britain, Londinium developed rapidly as a trading post and administrative center of the province of Britannia.

Its urban layout and public amenities reflected Roman norms: a forum and basilica, a public bath complex, a temple area, warehouses, and a marketplace, all within a defensive wall and ditch. The city also possessed a bridge across the Thames that linked the port to inland routes. It served as a major hub in the road network, connecting to major Roman routes such as Watling Street and Ermine Street.

Londinium expanded through the 2nd century CE, with an estimated population in the tens of thousands. It endured Boudicca’s revolt around AD 60–61, after which it was rebuilt and strengthened. The city began to decline in the 3rd and 4th centuries, as Roman authority in Britain weakened; by the end of Roman rule in Britain in the early 5th century, Londinium and much of its urban fabric had diminished. The name Londinum survives in Latin texts, and the English toponym London ultimately derives from it. The modern city of London sits on and around the same site, with later medieval and modern layers built atop and beside the Roman town.