Roman History London: Ancient Ruins, Artifacts, and Hidden遗迹

When you walk through central London, you’re stepping over Roman history London, the buried foundation of the city that began as Londinium, a trading post founded by the Romans in 43 AD. Also known as Londinium, this was once the heart of Roman Britain—a bustling hub of markets, temples, and military forts that laid the groundwork for everything London became. Most people think of castles and Victorian buildings when they picture London, but the city’s oldest layers are Roman. You don’t need to go to Rome to see ancient ruins—you just need to look down.

The Romans built roads that still form the skeleton of London’s streets. Watling Street, one of their main routes, runs under today’s A5. The London Wall, built around 200 AD to protect the city, still has visible sections near the Tower of London and in the Barbican. Beneath the modern city, archaeologists keep finding Roman baths, mosaics, and even a temple to Mithras—discovered in 1954 during construction and now preserved in its original location. These aren’t museum pieces on display far away; they’re right under your feet, often hidden in plain sight.

What’s left of Roman London?

You can touch actual Roman stone at the Roman London Wall, a defensive barrier built by the Romans to protect their settlement. The Mithraeum, a temple dedicated to the god Mithras, discovered in the 1950s and reconstructed near its original site lets you stand where Roman soldiers once prayed. And at the London Museum, home to one of the largest collections of Roman artifacts in Britain, you’ll see everyday items like shoes, coins, and pottery that belonged to people who lived here nearly 2,000 years ago. These aren’t just relics—they’re proof that London has always been a place where people came to live, trade, and build.

What makes Roman history London so powerful isn’t just the ruins—it’s how little we see. Most of Londinium is still buried, waiting to be found. Every time a new building goes up, workers uncover something new: a Roman sewer, a buried road, a child’s toy. The city doesn’t erase its past; it just covers it up. And now, through the stories and discoveries in the posts below, you can learn where to walk, what to look for, and how to connect with the oldest layer of London—without needing a tour guide or a history degree.