List of Roman place names in Britain
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A partial list of Roman place names in Great Britain.
This list includes only names documented from Roman times. For later Latin names, see List of British places with Latin names.
The early sources for Roman names show numerous variants and mis-spellings of the Latin names. Moreover one of the principal authorities, Ptolemy, wrote in Greek so names that he records need to be transliterated back into Latin to reveal the original form.
Note that in general only one source is shown below for each name, although many of the names are recorded in more than one of the sources.
| Contents |
Region/country names
| Roman name | Modern name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Albion | Great Britain | Ptolemy |
| Britannia | Great Britain | Tacitus |
| Caledonia | Scotland | Tacitus |
| Hibernia | Ireland |
Island names
| Roman name | Modern name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Malaeus | Mull | Ptolemy |
| Mona | Anglesey | Ptolemy |
| Monaoeda | Isle of Man | Ptolemy |
| Orcades | Orkney | Ptolemy |
| Scetis | Skye | Ptolemy |
| Taniatide | Thanet | Ravenna |
| Vectis | Isle of Wight | Ptolemy |
City names
| Roman name | Modern name | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquae Sulis | Bath | ||
| Ardotalia | Gamesley, Glossop. Derbyshire | ||
| Caeseromagus | Chelmsford, Essex | AI | |
| Calcaria | Tadcaster, North Yorkshire | AI | |
| Calleva Atrebatum | Silchester | AI | |
| Camulodunum | Colchester | Ravenna | |
| Clausentum | Bitterne, Hampshire | ||
| Corinium | Cirencester | ||
| Corstopitum | Corbridge | ||
| Deva | Chester | ||
| Dubris | Dover | AI | |
| Durnovaria | Dorchester | ||
| Durocobrivis | Dunstable | ||
| Durocornovium | Swindon | ||
| Durolitum | Romford | ||
| Durovernum Cantiacorum | Canterbury | ||
| Eboracum | York | Ptolemy | |
| Garrianonum | Burgh Castle | ||
| Glevum Colonia | Gloucester | ||
| Hortonium | Halifax | ||
| Isca Dumnoniorum | Exeter | AI | |
| Isca Silurium | Caerleon | ||
| Lactodorum | Towcester | ||
| Lindum Colonia | Lincoln | ||
| Londinium | London | Ptolemy | AI |
| Mamucium | Manchester | ||
| Mediolanum | Whitchurch, Shropshire | ||
| Noviomagus | Chichester | ||
| Ratae Coritanorum | Leicester | ||
| Segontium | Caernarfon | ||
| Venta Belgarum | Winchester | AI | |
| Verulamium | St Albans | Tacitus | |
| Viroconium | Wroxeter, Shropshire | ||
| Vindolanda | Chesterholme |
See also
- Latin names of cities
- Latin names of European cities
- Latin names of geographical features
- Latin names of islands
- Latin names of lakes
- Latin names of mountains
- Latin names of regions
- Roman place names
References
- A.L.F. Rivet and Colin Smith, The place-names of Roman Britain. London, 1979 (reprinted by Book Club Associates, 1981).
- Tacitus (Cornelius Tacitus), Britannia.
- AI: Antonine itinerary
- Ravenna Cosmography (Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia)
- Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus), Geographia.
External links
- List of Roman Place names in Great Britain and Ireland (http://www.ipa.net/~magreyn#RecordInterpreter)