BIG CITIES
JANUARY 14, 2022
The Eternal History Of London : From Romans To Modern Metropolis
From Romans to modern day metropolis, the eternal history of London spawns for 2000 years as one of the most important cities in the world.
London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom and one of the largest cities in the world. The name is of English origin and means “place at or reachable from the great river (Thames)”. The city of London was founded by the Romans about 2000 years ago.
It was when the Roman armies began their occupation of Britain under Emperor Claudius. They established a settlement at north of the marshy valley of the River Thames where two low hills were sited.
The town was initially called Londinium, in Latinised form, by the Romans and they ruled the city from 43 AD to the fifth century AD. In the first century CE, this city was a commercial centre in Roman Britain and during the third century the population had reached 50.000 due to its important major ports.
Like the all the major cities around the world, London is built near a river. For the purpose to cross the river Thames to head towards Colchester from South, the Romans built the first ever London Bridge. This bridge was vital for trade links at the time.
After the Roman Empire collapsed and abandoned the city, Germanic tribes or what we call Anglo-Saxon now, took over the area and established a colony around Aldwych and Covent Garden. The port was named as Lundenwic meaning “London settlement or trading town” for loosely translated. “Wic” itself means “trading town”.
Study reveals some evidence of Bronze Age bridges and Iron Ages forts near the River Thames. The London area was originally a place for early hunter settlements around 6000 BC.
Londinium was founded on the point of the river and has strategic location to provide easy access to much of Europe. It was city with multi ethnics, diverse race with residents from across the Roman empire such as Britannia natives, continental Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
Throughout centuries many historical events took place in London. The Bubonic plague threatened Londoners from 1347 to 1665 and The Great Fire of London burned nearly 70 percent of the city in 1666 are just two major catastrophic examples.
As of 2013, London and New York City had similar populations. London had 8,3 million while NYC stood at 8,4 million. But London has 138 square miles bigger than NYC, more room for its inhabitants.
Besides Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, London is famous for its historical sites. Some of the oldest landmarks in London are : The London Wall (3rd century AD), The Tower of London (1078), Westminster Palace (1097) and Nelson’s Column (1843). It also holds great places including museums, shops and restaurants along with some interesting places of politics, arts, science and architecture.
Also, 40% of the city is green space. This makes London the greenest city in the world in its size. Around 40% of the world’s foreign equities are traded here, larger than the NYC. And please take a note, there are 29 places around the world called London besides the one in England.
For culinary lovers, the traditional British dish Fish & Chips is on the top of any foodie list for visitors to London, a genuine “British Food”.
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