Episodes of renewal (c. AD 90–110)

Abstract

The pace of urban growth in London appears to have slowed in the period immediately after Agricola’s governorship. At the end of the first century, however, London’s port saw extensive repair and enlargement. Harbour improvements commenced c. AD 94–8, perhaps under Nerva’s administration. It is argued that these works were part of a wider programme of support for the annona, designed to secure the army’s support for the new political regime. These harbour works were resumed under Trajan, when improvements were also made to the hydraulic engineering represented by wells and water-lifting devices. Several baths were built or improved at around this time, some of which may have been attached to temple precincts near the borders of the settlement.