According to Medieval chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, today’s city of London was founded by Brutus of Troy, a Trojan War hero who named the city Caer Troia (New Troy), giving the British a sense of pride in their ‘mythical’ origin, until the era of the English poet John Milton (1608–1664). The area of London was first settled by the Trinovantes, and later the Romans. It is said that after the town was named Caer Troia, it was renamed CaerLudein by King Lud in 73 BC, which was eventually changed to ‘London’. Geoffrey adorned the history of ancient London with many legendary kings and myths.

Prehistoric discoveries have been made in the area of London, but generally there is no evidence of a major prehistoric settlement. Finds include evidence of farming and burial places. In antiquity, London was a sparsely settled rural area. However, such discoveries as the bronze, 300 BC Battersea Shield, found in the river Thames near Chelsea, indicate that this was an area of significant history. The Battersea, displayed at the British Museum, features enamel decorations and Celtic motifs. Historians believe that the shield was a ritual gift to the river spirits. Many other pieces of bronze and iron were also found in rivers throughout Britain. Settlements may have also existed at Brentford and Egham, but there was no city on the present-day site of London.

In Roman times, London was called ‘Londinium’, founded after Roman Emperor Claudius invaded these lands in AD 43. Scholars disagree as to the origin of the name ‘Londinium’, with theories ranging from ‘fierce’ and ‘flowing river’ to ‘settlement on the wide river’. Researcher Richard Coates suggests that the ‘river’ was called Plowonida down river, and Thames up river. Yet another opinion is that the city took its name from King Lud, whom some consider a mythical king. It is believed that Lud planned the first roads in the city.

The first spoken language in London was Latin. Greek was also widely spoken, as Greek-speaking soldiers and merchants lived in the city. London developed into a civilian settlement around AD 50. In early Roman times, London was approximately the size of Hyde Park. Shortly after its founding, the city was sacked by the army of the British Queen Boudica. A layer of red ashes was discovered under the city, dating back to about the same time, indicating destruction by fire. The historian Tacitus states that the Romans retaliated by killing 80,000 Britons at King’s Cross, after which Boudica poisoned herself. The city recovered and its population peaked at some 60,000 about AD 120, and became the capital of Britannia, or Roman Britain (formerly Colchester).

The Romans erected fortifications around London about AD 200, which designated the city’s boundaries for the next several centuries, parts of which survive to this day. London had become a wealthy, heavily fortified city by the 4th Century. The Romans had left London by AD 410, and the Roman city was practically abandoned 40 years later. However, the city was used as a base for military operations by the Roman administration during the bloody battles against the Jutes, a Kentish tribe. Kent was abandoned in AD 456, and extensive measures were taken to repel the Saxons thereafter. London was evacuated in the 6th Century and remained in ruins for more than a generation.