Camulodunum Camulodunum Camulodunum (; ), the Ancient Roman name for what is now Colchester in Essex, was an important town in Roman Britain, and the first capital of the province. It is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain. Originally the site of the Brythonic-Celtic oppidum of Camulodunon (meaning "stronghold of Camulos"), capital of the Trinovantes and later the Catuvellauni tribes, it was first mentioned by name on coinage minted by the chieftain Tasciovanus sometime between 20 and 10 BC. The Roman town began life as a Roman Legionary base constructed in the AD 40s on the site of the
Latin influence in English already existed, and this caused enrichment of the Old English vocabulary: "culcer" and "læfel" "spoon" from Latin "coclearium" and "labellum" beside Old English "spōn" and "hlædel" (Modern English "ladle"); Old English "forca" from Latin "furca" "fork" next to Old English "gafol"; Old English "scamol" "chair, stool" from Latin "scamellum" beside native "stōl", "benc" and "setl". All told, approximately 600 words were borrowed from Latin during the Old English period. Often, the Latin word was severely restricted in sense, and was not widespread in use among the general populace. Latin words tended to be literary or scholarly terms and were not