This image shows the wall which would have originally surrounded Verulamium.
There is also more evidence in which shows that Roman Verulamium was well planed. This is because the city was built upon a hill which helped it from the cause of flooding. It would also mean that if trespassers were to break in they would have to walk up a hill. Watling Street which was the main road used for the transportation of trade. This made it easy for them as it was one main road.
The theatre was also built on the outskirts of the city which made it easy to get to. They also had shops near the theatre to increase the cities wealth. There was a river near by so that people could use it for water in their homes. They could have used the water for cleaning and cooking. This evidence shows that Roman Verulamium was well planed as they divided up their gates so that transportation would become easier and thought well about their location. Source 3 also shows that Verulamium was well planed. This is because source 3 quotes, “walls were built around towns and cities to keep them safe from attack”. This shows that Roman Verulamium was well planned as they built walls around the whole city to keep them safe. At the site I saw a wall which was around 8ft which would have been there at full height to protect the city.
This again shows that Verulamium was well planed as they thought about the protection of the city by building a wall around it. The secondary piece of evidence is to do with the Roman towns. The archaeological map of Verulamium shows a grid pattern of streets. There are still remains of the Verulamium city today, as the city has not been completely excavated.
Source 2 and 5 are plan view maps of Verulamium and Pompeii. The sources show that Verulamium was well planned because it has many similarities to Pompeii. Similarities include the road structures, the gates, the basilica, the forum, the theatre, the temple, the main road and that dead bodies were buried outside the city.
In conclusion, Roman Verulamium was a well planed city for a number of reasons. Firstly they thought about the income and outcome of trade so they built the city next to the main road for trade which was, Watling Street. Secondly they built gates which were split into 4 archways, 2 exits and 2 entrances. Thirdly the location of the city was next to a river and built upon a hill. It was built next to a river for the supply of water and upon a hill so that it prevents the city from flooding and that if they were to be attacked they would be able to see the enemy approaching. There would also be a wall surrounding the city for the protection as well. Finally source 3 tells us that they built the city in relation to safety. Source one (taken from ‘Verulamium’ museum guidebook) tells us as well that, ‘the work is not finished,’ and ‘only a third of the area inside the town walls has been explored.’ Knowing this we can not fully rely on the map, as the work on the investigation of the city is incomplete. This now leaves us with incomplete evidence to say whether or not Verulamium was ‘planned’ or ‘looked’ like the map.
There is evidence that suggests Roman Verulamium was a prosperous city. One reason for this was the burial rites. This was because the wealthy and rich would be buried in coffins made from the finest materials at the time, sandstone and lead. However the poorer people were all buried by being thrown into a ditch together. This shows prosperity as people could afford coffins made from the best materials, however the photograph of a cemetery with skeletons not in coffins but chucked in shallow graves and muddy ditches left to rot is evidence that not everyone in Verulamium were treated the same and had a prosperous life. At the museum I saw a coffin in which had a buried man init. Looking at his teeth i could see that they were still in condition. This suggests that he had a god diet and shows he must have had been wealthy. Another reason to suggest that Verulamium was prosperous is the Roman Villa. The Roman Villa had mosaic with a detailed pattern. To have a mosaic in your house at the time would show you were wealthy. The mosaic was created by skilful craftsmen who would have taken a long period of time to make. This shows again that Verulamium was prosperous as it would take along time for the mosaic to be built in which you have to pay for labour and materials. When I was at the Villa I noticed that part of the mosaics pattern was wrong. This shows that they couldn’t re-do it as it would take to long. The mosaic has lasted around1700-1800 years. This shows us that it was carefully made so that it would last long. The Roman Villa also had a hypocaust (under floor heating) which shows prosperity. This worked by heating water outside of the house, the steam would then travel into the pipes which would then heat the floors in the house. Only the wealthy could afford this. They would pay the poor to refill the water.
There are also more reasons in why Roman Verulamium was prosperous. The city could afford buildings for leisure. The theatre was the largest in Britain.
This image shows us the remains of the Roman Theatre.
The theatre would have been used for religious rites, ceremonies and entertainments, and was capable of seating several thousand spectators.
The theatre was built bigger as the population in the city grew. People could afford to go to the theatres which show that Verulamium was prosperous. At the site I could see the bricks of the theatre and the remains of the changing rooms. Jewellery is another point in which shows that Verulamium maybe prosperous as there was gold, silver and rings were found which shows that they could afford costly items.
There is plenty of evidence suggesting Verulamium was wealthy although we must remember some members would be poor.
At Roman Verulamium there is evidence in which shows that there was an economic and administrative centre. There was trade as there are remains of products which were not built in this country left. Coins were found which shows us that they dealt with other countries. There was also pottery which was found which they would have used to carry items in of which they would have traded. They used trade with countries including: France, Greece and Spain. In Verulamium there is evidence that shows us that trade existed as when I was in the museum I saw horse shoes, cartwheel hubs and lynch pins which would have been used for the transportation of trade. Another thing was that the coffins which we saw contained grave goods like blue pottery vases, glass vases, samian ware and table ware form France. These items were well made, they were durable, as they are still lasting today, and they seemed quite heavy by the look of it. The pottery may have been very expensive; maybe it was the craftsmen who made them. These findings tell us about the clothes, wealth and beliefs of the dead person.
In the museum there was some evidence that suggested Verulamium traded with other parts of the Roman Empire, as there was evidence of overseas trade. At the Verulamium site Amphora pottery was found, which were used for storage. We know for sure that these were imported from other countries as many of the pottery jars had stamps on them of the country they were imported from. Source 7.
Verulamium could have also been an important centre of government. The evidence that supports this is the archaeological map as it shows that a basilica existed and has been excavated. A basilica is a hall that contained law courts and government offices. Source 8 is evidence which quotes, “The basilica was the main administrative building of any Roman town. In 1955 proof that a basilica existed in Verulamium came from the discovery of fragments of an official inscription.” An inscription is an official plaque on the side of the building. It explains when the town was built, who the emperor and governor were and the statues of the town. Only 5 pieces were known to be found, although some of the inscriptions have been interpreted. The word, “Censori” indicates that there was some form of censoring, and the censoring could only be issued by a government. This suggests that Verulamium was probably a centre of administration. The word, “Mvniciprm” is a word in Latin, meaning Government. This also indicates that Verulamium was a centre of administration. The other word, “Caesar” indicates that he was part of the main control emperor being n the government. There is not much evidence to show that Verulamium was an administrative centre.
In conclusion Roman Verulamium was a carefully planned and prosperous city. It was almost certainly an important economic and administrative centre. I agree with this statement for many reasons. Firstly it was carefully planned due to the gates, walls, ditches and the design of the city. Secondly the city was built next to Watling Street which made trade easy for them and also that the city was similar to Pompeii. This left the citizens of the city leading a healthy life and a wealthy one and thirdly because there is evidence of a basilica existed which was were the government offices were kept.
