Venta Icenorum facts for kids
Venta Icenorum was an important ancient Roman town. Its name means "marketplace of the Iceni." It was the main city, or capital, for the Iceni tribe.
This town was located in what is now Caistor St Edmund in Norfolk, England. The Iceni tribe lived in the flat lands and marshes of that area. They are famous for their rebellion against Roman rule. This revolt was led by their brave queen, Boudica, in the winter of AD 61.
Building the Town
The first streets of Venta Icenorum were likely built around the early 100s AD. The town is mentioned in old Roman travel guides. These include the Ravenna Cosmography and the Antonine Itinerary.
Venta Icenorum was near the village of Caistor St. Edmund. This is about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of modern-day Norwich. It was also close to an even older Bronze Age henge at Arminghall. The town was built next to the River Tas.
How Venta Icenorum Was Found
In 1928, an airplane flying over a farm near Caistor St Edmund rediscovered the ruins of Venta Icenorum. An archaeologist named Donald Atkinson then led a five-year dig. This excavation helped us learn a lot about the town.
After that, the site was not explored again for many years. Then, in 2009, the University of Nottingham started new digs. They wanted to find out if there were older Iron Age (Iceni) buildings beneath the Roman town.
What they found was interesting. Venta Icenorum was not built on top of an older Iceni town. Instead, it was a new town built by the Romans. It was a frontier town, meaning it was on the edge of Roman territory. Its main purposes were administration and trade. The digs also showed that the local farming people slowly started to adopt Roman ways of life.
Venta Icenorum Today
You can still see the old earth walls of Venta Icenorum at Caistor today. The ruins are looked after by The Norfolk Archaeological Trust. They are also managed by South Norfolk District Council.
In 2011, the Trust bought more land around the site. They added 55 acres across the river, near where the West Gate of the town used to be. This helps protect more of this important historical area.
See also
In Spanish: Venta Icenorum para niños
