Viroconium Cornoviorum: The Roman City at Wroxeter

Originally created as a presentation for 'History of the English Landscape 4000BC - 1066AD' at UEA.

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Viroconium Cornovium began as a small Auxilia fort at the modern day Welsh border, established by the Romans in a region occupied by the Cornovii tribe. It soon evolved into a legionary fortress, and then a town. The town continued to grow and amass substantial trade-based wealth, becoming approximately the fourth largest city in all of Britain.

The city would persist as a 'Civitas' (Roman regional capital) in Britain up until the fall of Roman Britain c.410 CE. Afterwards it would continue as a smaller settlement to the petty sub-Roman successor kingdoms of Powys and Wrocensaete. Around the time Wrocensaete was incorporated into the much larger kingdom of Mercia, the Roman city at Wroxeter became fully abandoned after years of gradual decline.

It wasn't until the 19th century that Viroconium Cornoviorum was to be excavated and 'rediscovered' again despite it boasting the largest freestanding Roman ruin in all of Britain, the 'Old Work'. The Old work is a large wall segment featuring an archway that made up a part of the city's old Thermae bathhouse.

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Read about Viroconium Cornoviorum yourself at: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...

With music from:

Age of Mythology
Rome: Total War
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim