Ancient coins reveal a female ruler led the way to Roman Britain

Archaeologists at Bournemouth University identified Verica as a female ruler of the Atrebates tribe during the Iron Age in Britain.

This discovery changes the historical understanding of the Roman invasion of Britain in A.D. 43. Verica ruled over territory that now includes modern-day Hampshire and West Sussex. After being removed from power around A.D. 40, Verica fled to Rome to seek support from the emperor Claudius.

The historian Cassius Dio claimed that Verica convinced Claudius to cross the English Channel to invade Britain. Dr. Miles Russell, who led the research, explains that previous historians assumed Verica was a man due to 19th-century biases. Russell notes that the title rex used on Verica's coins was a nongender-specific term that Rome applied to both male and female rulers. Physical evidence on the coins supports the theory that Verica was a woman.

While other leaders of the period depicted themselves as male warriors, Verica's coins show her as a slender, bare-breasted figure on horseback. Russell argues that Verica provided essential tactical information and ground support that made the invasion a success for Claudius. The research also connects to previous findings at Bournemouth University suggesting that Iron Age Britain may have had a matriarchal society.