Historians say King Verica persuaded Rome to invade Britain. But could Verica actually have been a queen?
Summary
Archaeologist Miles Russell argues that Verica, a ruler of the Atrebates who sought help from Rome, may have been a woman and may have helped prompt the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. Other specialists question the evidence, including the interpretation of Verica’s name, title and coins, and note that the ancient writer Cassius Dio described the ruler as male.Key Facts
- Verica ruled the Atrebates, whose territory included parts of what are now southern Hampshire and West Sussex.
- According to the article, Verica fled to Rome after being exiled during a power struggle involving Caratacus.
- Russell says Verica’s name and the title Rex do not conclusively establish the ruler’s sex.
- Russell interprets some coins bearing Verica’s name as showing a woman and says abbreviated inscriptions could mean “daughter of” rather than “son of.”
- Russell argues that Verica’s appeal to Rome may have helped lead Emperor Claudius to invade Britain in AD 43.
- Oxford archaeologist Roger Tomlin says the masculine name Vericus supports the view that Verica was male and questions whether Rex was used for rulers of both sexes.
- Coin expert Daphne Nash Briggs points to coins that she says depict Verica as male, including images in priestly dress and a profile with what appears to be an Adam’s apple.
- Cassius Dio, writing more than 200 years after the events, referred to the ruler as Bericus and treated the figure as a man.
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