Roman London - What Lies Beneath

Beneath the modern London Wall is hidden the remains of the west gate of the Roman fort, built around AD 120. This is rarely open to the public.

Marble sculpture of Bacchus from the Temple of Mithras, with Bacchus as the central figure. Inscribed ‘HOMINIBVS VAGIS VITAM’ – (You give life to wandering mortals)

The amphitheatre is a key part of the day. Found in the 1990s, it is now on permanent display beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery.

Just outside the Museum of London you can find the remains of the City of London's walls. The bastion is medieval and the brickwork is 19th century.

This medieval bastion shows many periods of use, but it was only properly understood when it was excavated in 1946 by Professor Grimes. He discovered here the first evidence for the Roman fort.

The 'Camomile Street' soldier, a tombstone found in the foundations of a later Roman bastion in the 19th century, is just one of many examples that show that the Roman army had a key role in Londinium.

Arguably the best examples found in Roman Britain, these sculptures from the Temple of Mithras were found in 1954 and are displayed with others found in the 1880s.

This looks like a bit of derelict land, but in actual fact contains 1900 years of London's history, from the building of the Roman fort through to the modern buildings which still follow the alignments of the city wall.

Introduction to the Roman Gallery of the Museum of London by two people who know the collection best!
Special access to the hidden world of the Roman London including Cripplegate Fort & Billingsgate Roman House and Baths
On foot discovering the best of Roman Londinium

Destroyed during the rebellion by Boudica during the 1st Century AD, Roman Londinium was quickly rebuilt to become a flourishing town. In its heyday, the city was equipped with a fort, amphitheatre, large public baths, temples and substantial commercial facilities as befitted the capital of Roman Britain. Linking Britain to the rest of the Roman Empire and housing the substantial treasury, Londinium remained a wealthy town although its population gradually dwindled and a large defensive wall was built to surround the town.

Much has been discovered by excavations over the last 50 years, and the story so far is beautifully told in the Museum of London, which is adjacent to and just outside the Roman Wall. Jenny Hall was the Roman curator in charge of the Roman Gallery and John Shepherd the former head of the Archaeological Archive, both at the Museum of London. Both are able to give a first-hand account of the latest digs and discoveries.

XRL19C - 24th July 2019 - Unfortunately the Mithraeum will be closed on this date

Themes

Romans

Itinerary 2019
What's Included
Reviews
Linked Tours
Study Days

Itinerary 2019

Day 1

10:00 - Meet the group at the Museum of London. Please note: The entrance is upstairs.
10:15 - Enjoy a guided tour of the Roman Gallery, to see the many artefacts including a leather bikini found from Roman London and how we now know more about Roman Londoners.
12:20 - Short walk to a nearby section of Roman City wall and the remains of the Roman Fort gate where we will have special access.
13:00 - We stop for lunch.
14:15 - We spend our afternoon on a walking tour. We have arranged special access to a wide variety of Roman remains, including the ceremonial entranceway of the Amphitheatre (which was found beneath the Guildhall) and the House and Baths at Billingsgate. We end our tour at the Temple of Mithras where we will see the recently-opened reconstructed remains and object display.
16:40 - Disperse -
Please note: The Temple is in the heart of the City near Bank and Cannon Street underground stations.

What's Included

Expert Guide Lecturer
Lunch - At a nearby restaurant
Fact Sheet - Including background information about your Guide Lecturer, historical context for the Day, detailed itinerary, a suggested reading list and directions to the venue

Reviews

Jan 8

"We were so privileged to get access to 101 Thames Street [Billingsgate House and Baths]. Even just walking over the terrain and realising why and where it sloped, made the extended site more real. As always with Andante the lecturers were super. They are friendly and approachable and explain without being patronising. It makes the 'learning' so enjoyable."

Guest

Jan 8

Excellent speakers Excellent lunch Guided tour of Museum of London Access to largely unknown sites on an excellent walking tour of Roman London

Guest

Jan 8

The knowledge and expertise of the lecturers; everything was explained very clearly and in detail. The combination of museum visit and walking tour. Meeting up with 4 people from the Pompeii trip we went on in April (and John Shepherd, who was also the lecturer on that). The lovely lunch (we are always well fed by Andante!). The provision of a short reading list was thoughtful.

Guest

Dec 9

My highlights were getting into places that the general public doesn't often see and visiting the Museum of London with the best-informed people and of course a very good lunch!

Guest

Linked Tours

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with John Shepherd , Tony O'Connor , Tony Wilmott , Dr Neil Faulkner , Dr Eireann Marshall , Dr Denise Allen , Oliver Gilkes , Doru Bogdan , Diana Blumberg , Dr Gillian Shepherd , Ben Kane , Mark Corney , Dr Simon Elliott , Dr David Rudling , Anne Chowne , Angela Bentley , Sofia Carosi

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See something old in a new way

Andante Study Days offer rare, often unique, insights into the world of working archaeology. All are led by expert guides, and are designed to give guests access to some of the best of British Archaeology...

What to expect

An expert guide to accompany you throughout the Day
A mixture of lectures, practical demonstrations, handling sessions, guided tours and walks
Special access to museums, sites and galleries otherwise closed to the general public (where specified)
Small Groups 12-25 guests
The company of like-minded people!

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