ABSTRACT
this chapter examines the case of the Icenian client-monarch Prasutagus within the context of other client-kings at around the same period of the Roman Empire. It is possible to argue that the Boudican Rebellion, the nexus of this book, hinges upon the status of the Iceni, in relation to the Roman state and, in particular, on that of its ruling house at the time the revolt took place. Prasutagus, king of the Iceni, after a life of long and renowned prosperity, had made the emperor co-heir with his own two daughters. Archaeology provides a window through which we may view the way of life enjoyed by local Icenian nobility who collaborated with Rome at the time of Prasutagus. The settlements economy in common with the rest of the central fenlands at this period was based on salt production, a commodity that made the region prosperous before and during the client-king phase.
