Colchester was the capital of an Iron Age kingdom, then the first capital of Britannia, famously destroyed by Boudica in AD 60. Over 200 hundred years of archaeological discoveries and excavation have revealed in it one of the richest histories of any Roman settlement in Britain. It was an important city, where the emperors of Rome were worshipped, and a dynamic home to people from across a vast empire. Drawing on the nationally important archaeological collections of Colchester Museums, the fifty objects here showcase the power and privilege of the once capital. From tombstones of invading soldiers to hidden jewellery and mementoes of the arena, they illustrate life in a vibrant city, telling its story through the personal objects of its inhabitants who lived, and died, here almost 2,000 years ago.

Colchester was the capital of an Iron Age kingdom, then the first capital of Britannia, famously destroyed by Boudica in AD 60. Over 200 hundred years of archaeological discoveries and excavation have revealed in it one of the richest histories of any Roman settlement in Britain. It was an important city, where the emperors of Rome were worshipped, and a dynamic home to people from across a vast empire. Drawing on the nationally important archaeological collections of Colchester Museums, the fifty objects here showcase the power and privilege of the once capital. From tombstones of invading soldiers to hidden jewellery and mementoes of the arena, they illustrate life in a vibrant city, telling its story through the personal objects of its inhabitants who lived, and died, here almost 2,000 years ago.