Viroconium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viroconium was a Roman city in England. Its site is now occupied by the village of Wroxeter, around 8 km (5 miles) east-south-east of Shrewsbury.
The name Viroconium suggests a very ancient origin; viro means virile man and conium stands for a conii tribe. That tribe came from Iberia through Cornwall, where they are known as cornovii (from the horn), so the complete city name: virile conii man from the horn - Viroconium Cornoviorum.
Viroconium is estimated to have been the fourth largest Roman settlement in Britain with a population of more than 6,000 people at its peak. It was founded in the later 1st century AD and by 130 had grown to cover an area of more than 70 ha and contained baths and a forum dedicated to the emperor Hadrian.
Although in decline, the city continued to be occupied following the Roman withdrawal in AD 410 and (like many places in England) has been suggested to be the original Camelot of Arthurian legend.
Impressive standing remains have been excavated, including 'the Old Work', an archway that is the largest free-standing Roman ruin in England. Most of the city remains underground, but it has been mapped through archaeological geophysics and aerial archaeology.
[edit] Poets
- A. E. Housman refers to the town as "Uricon" in his poem A Shropshire Lad.
- Wilfred Owen saw archaeological digs in progress at Wroxeter and refers to it in 1913, Uronconium - an Ode
[edit] External links
Viriconium, a fictional town with a similar name, appears in the science fiction and fantasy novels of M. John Harrison.
