Lindum Colonia

Lindum Colonia

The Newport Arch is a surviving part of the north gate to the Upper City.
Shown within England
Alternate name	Lindum, Colonia Domitiana Lindensium
Location	Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Region	Britannia
Coordinates	53°14′02″N 00°32′17″W / 53.23389°N 0.53806°W / 53.23389; -0.53806Coordinates: 53°14′02″N 00°32′17″W / 53.23389°N 0.53806°W / 53.23389; -0.53806
Type	Settlement
History
Builder	Domitian
Founded	Around 80
Abandoned	End of the 5th century
Periods	Roman Imperial

Lindum Colonia, was the Roman name for the settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. It was founded as a Roman Legionary Fortress during the reign of the Emperor Nero (58-68) or possibly later. Evidence from Roman tombstones suggests that Lincoln was first garrisoned by the Ninth Legion, Hispana which probably moved from Lincoln to found the fortress at York around c.71 A.D. Lindum was then garrisoned by the Second Legion Aduitrix, which then went on to Chester in 77-8 A.D.

Probably under the reign of Domitian and most likely after 86 A.D., the fortress became a Colonia, a settlement for retired soldiers sanctioned by the Emperor. The Colonia now developed and a second enclosure, often referred to as the ‘‘Lower Colonia’’ was added between the Upper Colonia and the River Witham. Evidence has been uncovered for the Forum, baths, temples, buildings and shops of the Colonia which was enclosed by walls. The walls of the Upper Colonia started to be built in the earlier part of the 2nd century A.D., while the Lower Colonia was walled in either the late 2nd or early 3rd centuries. The Roman settlement also spread to the south of the river Witham in the area known as the Wigford. In the early 3rd century A.D. with the re-organisation of the Roman Empire, a case can be made that Lindum Colonia had become the provincial capital of Britannia Secunda and possibly a Bishop from Lincoln was present at the Council of Arles in 314. In the 4th century A.D. Lincoln continued to develop and there is increasing evidence for Christianity, but in the 5th century, following the departure of the Romans, Lindum declined and was largely deserted.

The name is a Latinized form of a native Brittonic name which has been reconstructed as *Lindon (lit. "pool" or "lake"; cf. modern Welsh  ). The primary evidence that modern Lincoln was referred to as Lindum comes from Ptolemy’s Geography which was compiled in about 150 AD, where Lindum is referred to as a polis or town within the tribal area of the Corieltauvi. In the Antonine Itinerary, a road book of the mid-2nd century A.D., Lindum is mentioned three times as Lindo in the Iter or routes numbered V, VI and VIII. Then, in the Ravenna Cosmography, a listing of towns in the Roman Empire compiled in the 7th century AD., Lincoln is referred to as Lindum Colonia. As the Roman colonia for veteran soldiers at Lincoln is thought to have been established during the reign of the Roman Emperoer Domitian (81-96), it has been suggested that the full name of the Colonia would have been Colonia Domitiana Lindensium, but, as yet, there have been no Roman inscriptions found that confirm this.