Camulodunum pavements. It may have reached a population of 30,000 at its height. It was not until the late 18th century that historians realised that Colchester's physical Brythonic (British Celtic) and Roman remains were the city mentioned in ancient literature as "Camulodunum". The earliest Iron Age defensive site at Colchester is the Pitchbury Ramparts earthwork north of the town between West Bergholt and Great Horkesley. The main earthwork defences of the Brythonic Celtic oppidum of "Camulodunon" were built later, beginning in the 1st century BC but most date from the 1st century AD. They are considered the most extensive of their
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