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Calleva, meaning the woodland place, saw a great deal of change throughout its lifetime.
It was an important centre in the Iron Age and continued to develop during the Roman period.
As the road and monetary systems created economic opportunities,
Calleva was well placed at the centre of the road network to flourish. With local leaders acting as
officials in the Roman administrative system, Calleva become a Civitas, or regional, capital.
Exactly how long the occupation of the town continued, and the form it took, are matters
for continuing conjecture and research.
It is likely that, as the Roman infrastructure collapsed in the 5th Century, the town itself
went into decline. It is certain, however, that people lived, worked and died here for at least 500 years,
a longer span than that between the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II.
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The Silchester Collection represents the full extent of human
experience - religion, domestic life, literacy, housing,
recreation, the economic life of a market town and the
administrative life of a 'county' town.
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