SALON NO. 86: CONSTRUCTING LONDINIUM
Roman Rocks
The Salon will be held via the Zoom platform with two speakers, an interval, some high jinx plus a joint Q+A.
TICKETS £4.50 -Joining and attendence details will be emailed to you nearer the event. Bring your own refreshments :)
Long before there was London, there was LONDINIUM, the capital of Roman Britain for almost 400 years. But how was it built? Join archaeologists Dr.SIMON ELLIOT and Dr.IAN BETTS on a time travelling tour of the building sites of Britain’s first city.
The Salon will be held online via the Zoom platform. Details of how to join will be emailed you before the event.
The highway that linked Roman Britain to the continent, passes through Kent - the first place the Romans landed and the last they left as they came under attack. It is also the place they discovered the materials to build their city.
From the mid-1st to the mid-3rd century AD much of the building stone for Roman London was provided by ragstone quarries in the upper Medway Valley. One of these quarries was possibly the largest man-made hole in Europe. Dr.SIMON ELLIOT will explain the fascinating story of how this came to be, how the quarries were operated, how the stone was transported, and what became of the industry.
In 2016 whilst excavating in advance of construction of an office building in Lime Street, Dr.IAN BETTS of MOLA discovered the remains of an elaborate wall fresco from the late 1st century A.D. It had been painted by a master craftsmen with pigments imported to Londoniumfrom Spain. It was top quality work made for one of the most luxurious homes of the era. and just one of the discoveries MOLA have made revealing the interior style of the wealthiest Roman families.
Ian will reveal how use brick, tile, daub and mudbrick, marble and plaster were used to create the most sophisticated interiors in Britain in the years of the occupation.
----------------------------------------------
Dr.SIMON ELLIOT is an award winning and best selling historian, archaeologist and broadcaster. He is best known as an expert on Roman Britain and the Roman military, with his eight published books, He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, a Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, an Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology and a Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels.
Dr.IAN BETTS is one of MOLA’s Senior Finds Specialists, specialising in building materials. Since joining MOLA in 1982 Ian has been involved in the detailed examination of both stone and ceramic building material of all periods. He is the author of Tin Glazed Tiles from London, which looks at the rich diversity of decorative tile designs used in the capital over 400 years.
_________________________________________________________________________________________