Venta Belgarum

Venta Belgarum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia Superior. Today it is known as Winchester and is situated in the English county of Hampshire.

Development

The settlement was established around AD 70, partially on the site of a previous Iron Age valley fort, now known as Oram's Arbour, which had been abandoned for some years. It became the civitas capital of the local Belgae tribe. Its name means 'Market of the Belgae'. The River Itchen was diverted and a street grid laid out. A defensive bank and ditch was dug around the town in the 2nd century and a hundred years later a stone wall was added. The interior was the home to many fine Roman town houses or Domus, as well as public buildings and Roman temples.

Fighting dog export centre

The Roman conquest of Britain made Britannia a Roman province. At that time, in Britain there were giant, wide-mouthed dogs, which the Romans called Pugnaces Britanniae, that surpassed their Molossus dogs. A Procurator Cynegii, was stationed in Venta Belgarum and responsible for selecting these dogs, which were exported to ancient Rome for contests in the amphitheatre and for integration into the military of ancient Rome as war dogs.

Religion

The forum-basilica appears to have included a temple to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva along with an accompanying Jupiter Column. Elsewhere, there was a Romano-British style temple dedicated to the Celtic horse goddess, Epona. There was a large Romano-British cemetery to the north of the town, at Lankhills, and another to the east.

Decline

From the mid-4th century, new development at Venta halted. Houses fell into disrepair and the drainage system collapsed. The population concentrated itself in the higher and drier areas of the town. The defences were however strengthened and the cemeteries remained in use, notably with burials of males wearing so-called military-style mercenary belts. Occupation seems to have ceased in the 5th century, but David Nash Ford suggests the town's name may have become "Caer Gwinntguic", as recorded by Nennius. The Saxons later called it "Wintanceastre".

External links

* [http://www.roman-britain.org/places/venta_belgarum.htm Venta Belgarum]
* [http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/articles/nenniuscities.html Early British Kingdoms: The 28 Cities of Britain as listed by Nennius]