Close Readings London Revisited: Mosaics, Archers and a Walled Garden
Feb 23, 2026
Dominic Perring, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at UCL and author of London in the Roman World, guides a tour of Roman London’s rise and slow decline. He explores a catastrophic Hadrianic fire and lavish post-fire townhouses. He discusses trade links with Gaul and the Rhine, a mysterious bronze archer from Cheapside, and why the London Wall transformed the city into a walled garden.
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Hadrianic Fire Dated By Burnt Samian Crates
- A Hadrianic fire around 80–125 AD destroyed warehouses and left crates of imported Samian pottery beneath debris used to date the event.
- Potters' stamps on Samian from Gaul provide tight dating windows because kiln records fix individual potters' active years.
London's Trade Network Centered On Gaul And The Rhine
- London's chief continental link was Gaul and the Rhine-Rhone corridor, making the Thames estuary the terminus for goods from the northwest provinces.
- Luxury imports and timber for waterfront repairs flowed via the Rhine into the North Sea and on to the Thames.
Romano-British Society Mixed Elite Romanization And Rural Subsistence
- Romano-British society blended Roman administration with local elites who adopted Roman lifestyles, creating villas and mosaics across the countryside.
- Most people remained rural and near-subsistence, supplying grain and taxes to Roman authorities.