Britannia prima

The Britannia prima was one of the four provinces of the Roman Empire in Britain today, and had its capital in Dobunnorum Corinium, now Cirencester in the County of Gloucestershire. In the course of administrative reform under the Emperor Diocletian emerged at the beginning of the 4th century AD, the province comprised the present-day South West England and Wales.

Diocletian then shrink the provinces and increase their number considerably, but he shared the same time the Roman Empire in twelve higher administrative units, the dioceses. Britain and part of Gaul formed during the reign of Diocletian, however, for ten years a special empire under the usurper Carausius and his successor Allectus.

It was probably, therefore, after the reconquest of Britain by the Caesars Constantius Chlorus and its catchment in Londinium ( London) in the year 296, that the province of Britannia Superior was divided into the provinces of Britannia and Britannia prima Caesariensis. The province to London remained the honorable epithet of the Caesars, the former Britannia Inferior to the north, however, was to Britannia secunda.

The second largest city in Britain at that time already, Corinium, experienced as capital of Britannia prima another upswing. Under Emperor Julian, who had converted back to paganism by Christianity, the governor Lucius Septimus had a column in honor of former state god Jupiter build.

A rich collection of finds from this province offers the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, which was reopened in June 2005. The museum is known for its collection of Roman mosaic floors, which mostly come from the so-called Corinischen school.