III—On two Marble Sculptures and a Mithraic Relief of the Roman period found in London

Extract

Roman London held a special position in the Roman province of Britain. Planted on an excellent harbour and waterway, at the meeting point of the most important roads, it quickly grew into a flourishing town. Within fifteen years of the Claudian invasion it was renowned for its trade and thronged with merchants and merchandise. Before long it became the centre of the fiscal administration, and though it was not the capital of the province, and seems never to have even attained the rank of a municipality, it received in later times the title Augusta, and a mint was set up in it. Its surviving remains fully confirm its reputation. London is the one place in our island which has yielded Roman objects of artistic merit in real abundance. In general, the province of Britain, however thoroughly Romanised, appears to have contained little of wealth and luxury, and the finest products of Roman or Romano-provincial art, whether sculpture or glass or jewelry, were seldom seen in it. So far as they do occur, they are commonest in London.