The History Of The Name London

London has been the capital of England ever since 1078, when the Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror. In 1707, it also became the capital of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The name London in fact has a historical story of it’s own. When the Romans invaded Britain as we know it today did not yet exist. What they invaded was a series of small kingdoms. On the banks of the Thames, a trading settlement was found and it was named Londinium in 43AD, approximately. In several books it has also been referred to as Londiniensium, Londinio, Londiniensi and Augusta for some reason.

Figuring out why the Romans used these names is a rather complex matter, that is still yet to be agreed on even 2,000 years later. There is a serious debate about where the part of the name London came from. It includes elements of Celtic translation, since Celtic was widely present in Wales prior to the arrival of the Romans.

The original name could very well have been Llyn Dain, which is Welsh for pool of the Thames, or Llan Dian, in reference to the Temple of Diana, which was intended to be where St Paul’s Cathedral currently is.

The Celtic word Lond, means wild, which would have meant a strong and broad river in pre-Celtic dialect. In the 8th century when Alfred the Great took over the what was a Roman town and had the name anglicized to Lundenburh. Eventually, the name was shortened to London.

You may also like

Cristiano Ronaldo Returns to Manchester United

It's been approximately twelve years since Cristiano Ronaldo left the comfort of Old Trafford to make his legacy in the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Those years in which Barcelona and Real Madrid dominated the Spanish league, with Ronaldo playing for Madrid and Messi for Barcelona, have already gone down as some of the most exciting in soccer history. Ronaldo shocked the world when he agreed to play for Juventus, but was more shocking was the fact that Juventus paid approximately 88 million e

A Ruthless Ranking of Cheetos Flavors

Love it or hate it, Cheetos is here to stay. Heck, who are we kidding? We all love Cheetos, and those who say they don't are just too afraid to admit it; they're scared of their Cheetos love, they're scared of themselves. So, why not embrace our degrading love for the snack by ranking our favorite Cheetos flavors? This, of course, is a rhetorical question; there is absolutely no reason not to rank the best Cheetos flavors. Then again, some people may say that there's no point in doing such a thi

Revisiting In Utero: Dave Grohl’s Looks Back to His Nirvana Days

In Utero was grunge-sensation Nirvana's final studio album before the untimely death of their lead vocalist, the Rock legend Kurt Cobain. Recorded by the heralded audio engineer Steve Albini, the album's sound signaled a backward turn from the radio-friendlier Nevermind (1991). While the major record labels at the time were skeptical regarding its commercial viability, the album has since become a critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised the album's abrasive and dark character, and the

Bananas and Radioactivity

We love them, monkeys love them, pretty much every single living being out there loves them, bananas are a serious contender for Best Fruit, and yet the curved, quarter-mooned fruit is full of untapped secrets. What kind of secrets, you ask? Not only is that an excellent question, but it also allows us to segway into the topic of this article: we are, naturally, talking about the radioactive qualities of bananas. Yeah, you heard us right; the radioactive qualities of bananas.

Three Remarkable Ancient Greek Ruins

Ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy, the origin of thought, the pillar of Western society as we know it. The contribution of Ancient Greece's culture to the history of the world can not be overstated. Time, however, has had its way with the ancient civilization, which has been completely lost and forgotten save for a bountiful amount of structures, texts, and traditions. Thankfully, some of these structures are still standing tall, allowing us to marvel at their magnificence. So, without

Top Stories