Calleva Atrebatum

Calleva Atrebatum was an Iron Age oppidum established c. 20-10 BC as the capital of the Atrebates tribe, covering over 32 hectares. After the Roman conquest in AD 43, it developed into a walled town with a regular street grid, public baths, a forum basilica, temples, and an amphitheatre. A stone wall built c. AD 270 enclosed the 40-hectare site. Unlike most Roman towns in southern Britain, Calleva survived into the early medieval period before being abandoned between AD 550 and 650. The site near modern Silchester, Hampshire, has been excavated since 1866.