An upcoming exhibition at the London Museum in Smithfield will offer a detailed glimpse into life in Roman-era Londinium through a selection of artifacts recovered from ancient refuse sites. Opening in spring 2027, "Londinium: The Making of a Roman City" will showcase hundreds of newly unearthed objects dating back roughly 2,000 years, many of which have never before been publicly displayed.

The artifacts stem from the Bloomberg Collection, uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted between 2012 and 2014 ahead of constructing the European headquarters of the Bloomberg company in the City of London. These finds include everyday items such as wax writing tablets, coins, small statuettes, and personal objects, including a toddler’s feeding bottle decorated with an image of Bacchus, the Roman god of fertility and wine. This particular item has attracted attention for potentially shedding light on the unusual Roman practice of giving infants diluted wine, although historical evidence on this remains limited.

A standout piece is an "alphabet tablet," a wax tablet believed to have been used by an adult learner practicing the Roman alphabet. The exhibition will also feature a specially designed soundscape that recreates the array of languages spoken in Londinium during the early Roman occupation, providing visitors with an immersive sense of the city’s multicultural and multilingual population.

Professor Alex Mullen of the University of Nottingham, who has played a leading role in the research alongside Museum of London Archaeology, highlighted the exhibition’s focus on illustrating the complexity and diversity of early London life. “London is so busy, bustling, multicultural, multilingual, and what we’re recreating in the exhibition is the complexity of lives and the range of everyday voices,” he said.

The Smithfield exhibition will be housed in the museum’s vaults, rediscovered seven years ago during renovations and opening to the public for the first time. The setting offers a unique atmosphere where visitors will be able to view the artifacts while watching trains pass nearby. Design elements including sound and projections, created by the team behind notable productions such as the play "War Horse" and the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, aim to further bring the sounds and scenes of Roman London to life.

Curator Jackie Keily emphasized the exhibition’s ability to give a more emotive perspective on Roman London, noting that traditional galleries rarely capture the human experiences behind archaeological finds. The collection and accompanying installations are intended to deepen understanding of what life was like at the start of Roman rule in Britain, illuminating the daily realities of one of the empire’s provincial capitals.