The
Trinovantes or
Trinobantes were one of the
Celtic tribes of pre-
Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the
Thames estuary in current
Essex and
Suffolk, and included lands now located in
Greater London. They were bordered to the north by the
Iceni, and to the west by the
Catuvellauni. Their name possibly derives from the Celtic intensive prefix "tri-" and a second element which was either "novio" - new, so meaning "very new" in the sense of "newcomers", but possibly with an applied sense of vigorous or lively ultimately meaning "the very vigorous people - or perhaps the
Gallic word "banno"/"banna" (in Caesar's spelling of "Trinobantes") meaning a geographical
promontory, perhaps associated with the tribe. Their capital was
Camulodunum (modern
Colchester), one proposed site of the legendary
Camelot.