Cirencester was a fabulously wealthy Roman town. Indeed, it was the capital of Western Britain, but also the second largest Roman city in Britain. As a result, it was incredibly wealthy with villas and mosaics and bath houses and public buildings, a great town wall around the outside of the city. But then in the countryside as well, there were literally palatial villas with some of the most spectacular Roman mosaics ever found in Britain.
I'm absolutely fascinated by this landscape and by this history, but also about what happens after the Romans left in the fifth century, the so-called age of Arthur that we now believe was centered here in this very place. This is where the resistance to the barbarian invasions was coordinated where figures like Arthur might have operated out of.
If you want to know more about Roman Cirencester and the age of Arthur and the Arthurian myth, come on the summer school that we're going to be holding here in the university in 2026 where you'll not just get lectures but also visits to all the key Roman sites around, but also participate in an excavation where you can learn more about the practical side of Roman human archaeology.
