Editing Chester (section)

===Roman===
{{Main|Deva Victrix}}
[[File:DevaMinervaPlan(bq).jpg|thumb|Diorama of the Roman Legionary fortress [[Deva Victrix]] in [[Grosvenor Museum]], Chester]]
The [[Roman Britain|Roman]] [[Legio II Adiutrix]] during the reign of the [[Emperor Vespasian]] founded Chester in AD 79 as a "[[Castra|castrum]]" or Roman fort with the name ''[[Deva Victrix]]''. It was established in the land of the Celtic [[Cornovii (Midlands)|Cornovii]], according to ancient [[cartographer]] [[Ptolemy]],<ref>{{harvnb|Ptolemy|1992|loc=Book II, Chapter 2}}</ref> as a [[castra|fortress]] during the Roman expansion northward,<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|2001|p=42}}</ref> and was named Deva either after the goddess of the Dee,<ref>Salway, P. (1993) ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain''. ISBN CN 1634</ref> or directly from the British name for the river.<ref>{{cite web |title=A History of the County of Chester: Volume 5 part 1 |editor=C.P. Lewis |editor2=A.T. Thacker |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19182#n6 |publisher=British-history.ac.uk |year=2003 |access-date=10 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216072341/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19182#n6 |archive-date=16 December 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 'victrix' part of the name was taken from the title of the [[Legio XX Valeria Victrix|Legio XX ''Valeria Victrix'']] which was based at Deva.<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|2001|p=128}}</ref>  Central Chester's four main roads, Eastgate, Northgate, Watergate and Bridge Street, follow routes laid out at this time.

A civilian settlement grew around the military base, which probably originated from trade with the fortress.<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|2001|p=101}}</ref> The fortress was 20% larger than other fortresses in the [[Roman Britain|Roman province of Britannia]] built around the same time at [[York]] ([[Eboracum]]) and [[Caerleon]] ([[Isca Augusta]]);<ref>{{harvnb|Carrington|2002|pp=33–35}}</ref> this has led to the suggestion that the fortress, rather than London ([[Londinium]]), was intended to become the capital of the [[Roman province]] of [[Britannia Superior]].<ref>{{harvnb|Carrington|2002|p=46}}</ref> The civilian [[Chester Roman Amphitheatre|amphitheatre]], which was built in the 1st century, could seat between 8,000 and 10,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%2526+heritage/time/roman/art42592 |title=Revealed: New discoveries at Chester's Roman amphitheatre |first=Graham |last=Spicer |publisher=Culture24.org.uk |date=9 January 2007 |access-date=16 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421162035/http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%2526+heritage/time/roman/art42592 |archive-date=21 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the largest known military amphitheatre in Britain,<ref>{{harvnb|Carrington|2002|pp=54–56}}</ref> and is also a [[Scheduled Monument]].<ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=69224|mname=Chester Amphitheatre|access-date=10 March 2008}}</ref> The [[Minerva's Shrine, Chester|Minerva Shrine]] in the Roman quarry is the only rock-cut Roman shrine still [[in situ]] in Britain.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1375783 |desc=Roman shrine to Minerva |access-date=15 March 2008}}</ref>

The fortress was garrisoned by the [[Roman legion|legion]] until at least the late 4th century.<ref name="Roman Chester journal">{{cite journal |last=Lewis |first=C.P. |author2=Thacker, A.T. |title=Roman Chester |journal=A History of the County of Chester: Volume 5 Part 1: The City of Chester: General History and Topography |pages=9–15 |publisher=British-History.ac.uk |year=2003 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19183 |access-date=15 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805100123/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19183 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the army had abandoned the fortress by 410 when the Romans [[End of Roman rule in Britain|retreated from Britannia]],<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|2001|pp=209–210}}</ref> the [[Romano-British]] civilian settlement continued (probably with some Roman veterans staying behind with their wives and children) and its occupants probably continued to use the fortress and its defences as protection from raiders from the [[Irish Sea]].<ref name="Roman Chester journal"/>