Earth, Fire & Treasure
There is abundant archaeological evidence for Boudica’s Revolt
Tracing historical figures and events from the Ancient World can be extremely difficult but in the case of Boudica’s Revolt there is plentiful archaeological evidence, particularly in Colchester. It was discovered that the Britons desecrated the Roman cemetery and two tombstones of soldiers were found to have been deliberately damaged, with their faces symbolically mutilated. In 2014, Roman coins and jewellery were excavated in Colchester’s High Street. Known as the ‘Fenwick Treasure’, the hoard was discovered beneath a soil layer of destruction dating from c.60-61 CE. It had been buried for safekeeping in a small pit under a house that had been burned down. Poignantly, the treasure was never recovered and human bones were also found on the site.
Colchester town centre also has a layer of red and black soil approximately one metre thick dating from the time of the revolt. A similar layer exists beneath the modern City of London where the Britons also destroyed the Roman settlement. Both Colchester and London were razed to the ground, with the red layers being oxidised iron that melted during the fires. The red and black deposits of soil also represent the colours of clay that was used to build the timber structures. Such was the apparent destruction that the clays turned into a solid mass. It is a stark indication that the Britons intended to totally destroy the new colonies, and fire-damaged coins depicting Emperor Claudius have also been found in London.
It is Claudius who represents perhaps the most famous indication of the revolt. In 1907, a bronze head of the emperor was unearthed at Rendham, Suffolk. Discovered on what was once Iceni land, the head had formed part of a life-size statue but it was later decapitated. One theory is that the head was originally part of the equestrian statue of Claudius that was toppled in Colchester and taken away as a trophy. This can never be confirmed but the head is a tantalising symbol of the violent challenge to Roman authority.