Forum et Basilica Londinii
About
At roughly 167 meters long, Londinium's second forum-basilica was the largest Roman building north of the Alps, replacing a smaller Flavian predecessor torn down around 100 CE. Excavations at Leadenhall Market date its construction across 100–125 CE, with several accounts tying its completion to Hadrian's visit to Britain in 122. In 117 it was still a building site, not yet the finished civic hall Londinium would come to know.
What happened here
This is the town's indoor hall, and in winter it is where everyone goes. Court sits at one end on a raised platform, screened off with wooden partitions when the case is private. Around it, business goes on regardless — contracts witnessed, cargoes argued over, bankers at their tables, men sheltering from rain with nothing to do. The roof is carried on two storeys of columns, and the upper gallery is a good place to watch a trial without being counted as part of the crowd. Advocates are paid by reputation and perform accordingly; a good one draws an audience the way an actor does. Noise carries badly, which everyone complains about. Building one is the standard way for a rich citizen to be remembered.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →