In 60 AD, the fledgling Roman town of Colchester witnessed ancient Armageddon. Thousands of British warriors descended on the settlement, turning what was then the capital of Roman Britain to ash. At the head of these attackers was one of the most well-known figures in British history - the warrior woman Boudica. Her bloody assault on Colchester marked one of the first gruesome events of her revolt against the Romans.
For a long time, the Roman historian Tacitus was our main source for Boudica’s great burning of Colchester. But no longer. Beneath the ground level of the modern city, archaeologists have uncovered actual physical evidence of the burning. From a visible ash layer in the soil, to a great wealth of artefacts that have revealed more about the sheer brutality of Boudica’s onslaught and the tragic tales of innocent victims caught up in the carnage.
Tristan Hughes visits Colchester to investigate this incredible archaeology and to see whether it supports the surviving Roman account for Boudica’s bloody sacking of this settlement almost 2,000 years ago.
Up Next in Ancient Rome
-
Rise and Fall of Roman Richborough
Richborough was one of the longest Roman-occupied sites in Britain, with history stretching from the Claudian invasion of Britain in 43 AD to the Roman departure almost 4 centuries later. During its long history Richborough transformed on several occasions. From military base to prosperous port t...
-
Scotland's Roman Hoard: The Traprain ...
Follow Tristan Hughes as he is given exclusive access to the National Museum of Scotland for a look at one of Britain’s most spectacular archaeological discoveries: the Traprain Treasure, a dazzling collection of over 250 pieces of late Roman silver.
Guided by curator Dr Fraser Hunter, we learn ...
-
Gladiators: History's Greatest Fighters
Gladiators, from Spartacus to Ridley Scott’s Maximus Decimus Meridius, we’ve been fascinated by them for hundreds of years. Dan Snow is on the hunt to find out why we’re still so obsessed with the men who controlled the Roman arena from the ground up!
Dan joins experts in Italy and England to in...
29 Comments