Camulodunum was the first Roman colonia in Britain and the symbolic heart of Roman rule, with a temple of Claudius seen as an emblem of oppression. The Trinovantes joined the Iceni revolt partly in response to colonial dispossession. Survivors held the temple precinct for two days before being overwhelmed. Tacitus and Dio Cassius record the slaughter of all Romans found — estimated at several thousand colonists.
Thousands of Roman colonists killed; much of IX Hispana vexillation under Petilius Cerialis destroyed in ambush
Roman garrison: small auxiliary detachment; relief column c.2,500 legionaries under Cerialis. Boudiccan force: Iceni, Trinovantes — tens of thousands
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near Essex