In AD 43, Roman forces landed in Kent under Emperor Claudius, an event that permanently altered the course of British history. For centuries, historians believed the exiled British leader who fled to Rome and persuaded Claudius to invade was a king named Verica. Now, Dr. Miles Russell, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University, argues that this influential Iron Age ruler was actually a woman. Verica ruled the Atrebates, a tribe controlling parts of modern-day Hampshire and West Sussex, before being driven out by rival leader Caratacus.
Russell bases his controversial theory on linguistic patterns and coinage. In his forthcoming book, Caratacus: Great King of Britain, he points out that Latin names ending in the letter "a" usually belonged to women, contrasting with the masculine form "Vericus." Furthermore, coins minted under Verica feature the title Rex, which Russell argues was used by Romans for client rulers regardless of sex. While coins issued by male contemporary rulers depicted overtly male warriors, some of Verica's coins appear to show a naked woman on horseback. Russell also connects this to the Roman historian Cassius Dio, who wrote that Claudius was frequently swayed by women.
However, other specialists remain skeptical of the evidence. Professor Roger Tomlin, an Oxford University expert in Latin epigraphy, noted that Cassius Dio explicitly referred to the ruler as a man, though Russell argues Dio wrote centuries later and may have relied on garbled transcriptions. Tomlin also stressed that Roman coin art was often symbolic rather than an accurate portrait of the monarch, comparing the argument to claiming Queen Victoria was male because British gold coins depicted a male rider defeating a dragon.
Other archaeological evidence also complicates the theory. Dr. Daphne Nash Briggs, an expert on Iron Age coins, highlighted that several coins bearing Verica’s name depict male riders, figures in male priestly dress, or portraits with an Adam’s apple. Russell contends that those portraits likely depict the Roman emperor rather than Verica. Acknowledging the controversy, Russell hopes the debate encourages historians to reconsider the role of women in ancient Britain.