The new hypothesis challenges long-standing assumptions about the ruler who encouraged the Roman emperor Claudius to invade Britain in AD43. Dr Miles Russell argues that linguistic cues, such as names ending in the feminine Latin letter "a," and coin portraits of a naked female rider point to Verica being a woman. Skeptics dispute this interpretation, noting that Roman historian Cassius Dio explicitly identified the monarch as male. Furthermore, numismatic specialists argue that other minted coins from the reign display male priestly vestments and prominent male physical characteristics, which Russell contends actually portray the Roman emperor.
Key points
Re-evaluating the British ruler Verica's sex could alter existing historical understandin…: Re-evaluating the British ruler Verica's sex could alter existing historical understandings of Iron Age British politics.
Classical experts strongly doubt the title Rex was applied in a gender-neutral way to fem…: Classical experts strongly doubt the title Rex was applied in a gender-neutral way to female allied rulers.
The controversial arguments regarding the monarch's gender will appear in the upcoming bo…: The controversial arguments regarding the monarch's gender will appear in the upcoming book titled Caratacus: Great King of Britain.
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It was a moment that changed the course of British history: in AD43, Roman troops under the emperor Claudius landed in Kent. Now, an archaeologist has claimed the British ruler who persuaded Claudius to invade was not a king but a queen.
The controversial conclusion, made by Dr Miles Russell, the director of archaeological fieldwork at Bournemouth University, could throw new light on Britain’s history.
“It’s critical because … without Verica there probably would be no Roman invasion,” he said. “Also, it changes the politics, it changes the dynamics of iron age Britain.”
Verica was a Romanised Briton who ruled the Atrebates tribe who controlled parts of what is now southern Hampshire and West Sussex. After the death of another powerful tribal leader, Cunobelinus, and the rise of Cunobelinus’s son Caratacus, Verica was exiled and fled to Claudius in Rome.
Russell says among the evidence for a rethink of Verica’s sex is that Latin names that end in the letter “a” often belong to women.
What’s more, Verica used the term “Rex” on coins – a word Russell says was…
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