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 languages. Christian missionaries coming to Britain in the 6th century and 7th century brought with them Latin religious terms which entered the English language: "abbot", "altar", "apostle", "candle", "clerk", "mass", "minister", "monk", "nun", "pope", "priest", "school", "shrive". Some of these words are ultimately of Greek origin, as much of the technical language of Christianity developed from the Greek of the New Testament and the works of those Fathers of the Church who wrote in Greek. During this time, the Catholic Church had great influence on the development and expansion of the Old English language. Catholic monks mainly wrote or copied