Dumnonii the British population, suggesting an ancient connection of peoples along the western Atlantic seaboard. The Latin name for Exeter is Isca Dumnoniorum ("Water of the Dumnonii"). This oppidum (a Latin term meaning an important town) on the banks of I River Exe certainly existed prior to the foundation of the Roman city in about AD 50. "Isca" is derived from the Brythonic word for flowing water, which was given to the River Exe. This is reflected in the Welsh name for Exeter: "Caerwysg" meaning "fortified settlement on the river Uisc". Isca Dumnoniorum originated with a settlement that developed around the
Isca Dumnoniorum ha). There is evidence of copper and bronze working. A possible stock-yard has also been identified and Isca was clearly a key market for livestock, crops, and pottery produced in the surrounding countryside. The importance of Isca as a trading centre is demonstrated by the discovery of more than a thousand Roman coins around the city. However, the dates of these coins suggest that the city was at its most prosperous in the first half of the 4th century; virtually no coins dated after 380 have been found, suggesting a rapid decline. Bishop Ussher identified the Cair listed among the