The Foundation of Roman London: Examining the Claudian Fort Hypothesis

This article addresses the problems with the theory that London was founded as a Claudian fort, recently reiterated by D. Perring (2011). The main issues addressed are the chronological and functional assumptions of ditches, as well as the significance of military artefacts necessary to consider Perring's argument. Additionally, isolating a small number of features from the pre‐Boudican period can be misleading, and this article briefly contextualizes the ditches cited within all known contemporaneous large ditches from Claudian/Neronian London. An assessment of Perring's interpretation of the character of the early settlement and an alternative portrayal based on the author's research are presented briefly.