LONDON IN ROMAN TIMES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 51, 23 November 1929, Page 32

LONDON IN ROMAN TIMES

OBSCURITY OF EARLY HISTORY. The obscurity of the early history of London,was emphasised by Mr. Quintin )Vaddi'pgton, Museum Clerk at Guildhall, ii; a lecture at a meeting of the British Archaeological Association. He said that though the site of London was, if not inhabited, at least frequented by our predecessors at the time when neolithic tools were beginning to be replaced by bronze ones, the prehistoric period only ended with the coming of the Romans. So sharply marked was the point dividing the prehistoric from the historic that though it was known that the Romans arrived in Britain and probably in London in A.D. 43. it was not known whether they found London a town already in existence or whether they created the first settlement there. Fragments of vases known as pedestal urns, which had been found, in considerable numbers during the past five years, were of n kind which suggested they were pre-Roman. for it was known that, the Romans never took to pedestal urns. A similar suggestion of a pre-Roman London was-made by bead-rim pots which hud been found. Of late years the red Samian pottery hud become the most valuable evidence for dating sites during the first two centuries of xir era. This ware was particularly abundant in London. Its potters were fortunately believers in advertisement, and seldom missed a chance ’ of stamping their names on the eups and plates. In the collection at Guildhall there were fragments bearing.the names ■of over 400 firms who exported it from Gaul to Britain. Among those of early date whose wares were more likely to .have reached London before than after A.D. 43,. were Amandus, Lieinns, Balbus and Mncc'arus. With regard to structural remains of Roman London, recent excavations hnd revealed very little. The most remarkable discovery was a vast structure of timber walls, which apparently hnd been part of a scheme for consolidating the bank of! the river. The timbers were large onk trees squared down into baulks and laid horizontally one on top of the other.