Silchester was a Romano-British civitas-capital of the Atrebates on the present Hampshire-Berkshire border. Development after the invasion was swift, with street-grid, large central timber structures, and possibly the baths. At the centre was the stone-built, Hadrianic forum. Other public buildings included an amphitheatre and temples. Objects indicate occupation into the 5th cent., but thereafter the site was deserted.

A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.