- Venta Belgarum
Venta Belgarum was a
town in theRoman province ofBritannia Superior . Today it is known asWinchester and is situated in the English county ofHampshire .Development
The settlement was established around AD
70 , partially on the site of a previous Iron Age valley fort, now known asOram's Arbour , which had been abandoned for some years. It became thecivitas capital of the localBelgae tribe. Its name means 'Market of the Belgae'. TheRiver Itchen was diverted and a street grid laid out. A defensive bank and ditch was dug around the town in the2nd century and a hundred years later a stone wall was added. The interior was the home to many fine Roman town houses orDomus , as well as public buildings andRoman temple s.Fighting dog export centre
The
Roman conquest of Britain madeBritannia aRoman province . At that time, in Britain there were giant, wide-mouthed dogs, which the Romans calledPugnaces Britanniae , that surpassed theirMolossus dogs. AProcurator Cynegii , was stationed in Venta Belgarum and responsible for selecting these dogs, which were exported toancient Rome for contests in theamphitheatre and for integration into themilitary of ancient Rome aswar dog s.Religion
The forum-
basilica appears to have included a temple to Jupiter, Juno andMinerva along with an accompanying Jupiter Column. Elsewhere, there was aRomano-British style temple dedicated to theCelt ichorse goddess ,Epona . There was a largeRomano-British cemetery to the north of the town, atLankhills , 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 the5th century , but David Nash Ford suggests the town's name may have become "Caer Gwinntguic", as recorded byNennius . 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]
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