Towns of the Roman Empire

[aquilifer2k10]

Britain being the exception, it seems rather difficult to find out the highest status of towns within the provinces of the Roman Empire. The Barrington Atlas, I've discovered, is a completely useless resource as it fails to attach a status to any settlement between village and town.

 

BRITAIN

 

Coloniae

Colchester (Camulodunum)

Gloucester (Glevem)

Lincoln (Lindum)

York (Eboracum)

 

Municipia

St Albans (Verulamium)

 

Civitates

Aldborough (Isurium Brigantium)

Brough (Petuaria)

Caerwent (Venta Silurum)

Caistor-by-Norwich (Venta Icenorum)

Canterbury (Durovernum Cantiacorum)

Carmarthen (Moridunum Demetarum)

Chelmsford (Trinovantum)

Chichester (Noviomagus Reginorum)

Cirencester (Corinium Dobunnorum)

Dorchester (Durnovaria)

Exeter (Isca Dumniorum)

Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvorum)

Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum)

Winchester (Venta Belgarum)

Wroxeter (Viroconium Cornoviorum)

 

Unknown Status

London (Londinium)

 

Potential towns: Ilchester (Lindinis), Carlisle, Corbridge, Kenchester, Rochester, Water Newton, Richborough.

Potential municipia/coloniae: Besides London, there are several other towns listed above that could have had higher status according to the author of Place Names Of Roman Britain.

 

 

GERMANY (SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR)

 

Coloniae or Municipia

Augst (Augusta Raurica)

Koln (Colonia Agrippinensis)

Nijmegen (Ulpia Noviomagus)

Rottweil (Arae Flaviae)

Voorburg-Arentsburg (Forum Hadriani)

Xanten (Colonia Ulpia Traiana)

 

Civitates

Baden-Baden (Aquae)

Cannstatt

Dieburg

Heddernheim (Nida)

Ladenburg (Lopodunum)

Neuenstadt

Oedenburg (Argentovana)

Pforzheim (Portus)

Riegel

Rottenburg (Sumelocenna)

Schleitheim (Luliomagus)

Speyer (Noviomagus)

Tongeren (Aduatuca Tungrorum)

Wiesbaden (Aquae Mattiacorum)

Wimpfen

Worms (Borbetomagus)

 

Unknown Status

Bonn (Bonna)

Mainz (Mogontiacum)

Neuss (Novaesium)

Zulpich (Tolbiacum)

Waldgirmes

 

Can anyone help with these last five or any potential corrections?

 

 

GAUL

 

Gaul is one of the hardest provinces to research towns, and I'm almost ready to give up, as no maps seem to state--even from recent issues of the Gallia journal--Coloniae or Municipia status for any towns. Everything is simply given Civitas status, when I know this doesn't apply to all Gallic towns. Even more bizarre is the classification of Boulogne as a town! I know it was a naval base, but what evidence is there that it became a town?

http://www.nord-pas-de-calais.pref.gouv.fr...ra_boulogne.pdf

Anyone read French? Does it mention anything about Boulogne being a town?

Edited December 28, 2009 by aquilifer2k10

[Northern Neil]

Anyone read French? Does it mention anything about Boulogne being a town?

Yes, and yes:

 

L

[aquilifer2k10]

Thanks for your reply!

 

Elsewhere, the article makes reference to 'The Ancient Town'. Although this settlement's function was a port, it was also at the same time a town - by neccesity even, as a civilian population would be essential to maintain the local economy.

Right, but you know the difference between a town and civilian population that develops around the outside of a fort or base (vicus)? For Boulogne to have been a Roman Town, French historians/archaeologists must have found remains of a Forum-Basilica located somewhere in the vicinity or something from an inscription or the Latin place name, Gesoriacum/Bononia, indicating it was a civitas, municipium or colonia.

[Maladict]

Maybe this book will be of interest, previews are available for pages 50, 51 and 53, dealing with Boulogne and including a map. I haven't read this one, but I found his book on southern france a rather good survey.

Edited December 28, 2009 by Maladict

[aquilifer2k10]

I got that book, but unfortunately it's rather vague when it talks about the later history of Boulogne, but is good as a guide book on what visible remains can be see today with good info on the local museums etc.

[sylla]

Being aware of its obvious limitations as a source, I think some valuable information on this issue may be obtained from the Italian version of Wikipedia.