For nearly 2,000 years historians assumed Verica, the British ruler who fled to Rome and urged Emperor Claudius to invade in AD 43, was a man; a Bournemouth University archaeologist now argues Verica was a woman

Archaeological studies now indicate that Verica, long regarded as a male figure, might have been a female monarch. This discovery challenges conventional beliefs about early British leaders, particularly regarding the likes of Boudica. Coin evidence featuring depictions that could signify a feminine identity adds weight to this theory. Such findings emphasize the importance of female authority in Iron Age Britain’s political landscape.