Caesar's Expeditions

2017 Please note there have been changes in thought about the actual landing site. It may have been Pegwell Bay

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5125295/Landing-site-Julius-Caesars-invasion-Britain-found.html

 August 26th 55BC *

Caesar's first invasion of Britain was a failure. Troubled by the Gauls, he was late in preparing, and making, his first 'conquest' of Britain; it wasn't until late summer* of 55BC that he embarked on his first journey to Britannia. For the Roman world, anything beyond the 'River Oceanus' was a journey into a land of mystery, of the unknown. Certainly our shores had been known since before 320BC when the Greek traveller Pytheas came our way and eventually found Iceland, they say, but we were a mysterious race with strange customs. In his book 'De bello Gallico' , Caesar writes, "He wanted to know the character of the people, their localities, harbours, and landing places which were for the most part unknown to the Gauls." There had been cross-channel trading going on for centuries but it was only merchants who went to Britain and even then it was only the sea-coast and those parts which are near to Gaul that they were known to visit.

I imagine that Caesar had tried to obtain information about these landing places from these merchants in the short time available to him; however, he did send one Caius Volusenus who took some 5 days to probe the Kent coastline for a suitable landing site. For what ever reason, he missed Richborough and Caesar's small force fetched up (without his cavalry) somewhere between Walmer and Deal and with great difficulty fought off the Britons, who were waiting, and attacked them in the shallows on the beach. With skilful use of his warships offering a barrage of slingshot, arrows and ballista bolts, and the brave Legion X standard bearer, the Romans gained a foothold. The defeated Britons offered hostages.

Unfortunately, three or four days later there was a full moon and a high tide  and the Romans, unused to the 6 - 7 metre tidal range of the channel, and a storm, meant their ships at anchor were damaged. Caesar's cavalry had to turn back in the storm - this heartened the locals to fight again. After skirmishes with Caesar in which he prevailed, he learned of the Britons fighting methods and returned to Gaul with hostages before the autumn equinox.

* Or was it a few days earlier on the 22 or 23rd August 55BC? http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jul/02/highereducation.comment

Click: Points Arising: English Tides and Roman Ships

Click: Read Caesar's text: De Bello Gallico IV

July 6th 54BC  

The expedition to Britain in 55BC had been a disaster but Caesar had crossed the 'Ocean' sea  In 54BC he embarked on his second conquest with a fleet of up to 800 boats. The fleet set sail at sunset (~7pm) from Itis (Boulogne) with a  gentle southwest wind, to make for the beaches which he had discovered the preceding summer.  All the 800 ships (600 specially design transports and 28 warships + others) reached Britain at midday on the 7th; they made landfall on the beach between Deal to Worth it is assumed, unopposed - the locals had spied the massive fleet and fled.

Caesar set up a beachhead and later advanced by night (about 12 miles) to gain the element of surprise when they saw the Britons. The path the Romans took is unknown but my guess is Worth – Ash - Wingham. The locals fell back to the river crossing at Stour (at Canterbury) and the Romans met the British below Bigbury hill fort. With their cavalry and chariots from the higher ground, Britons began to attack Romans, they hid in woods and retreated to their hill fort. Its entrances to it were closed by felled trees. Britons rushed out of the woods to fight, and prevented Romans from entering their fortifications. But the soldiers of the Legio VII, took the camp and drove them out of the woods, themselves receiving only a few wounds.  Caesar forbade his men to pursue the fleeing Britons.  

On the 9^th July, early in the morning, he sent foot-soldiers and horses in three divisions to pursue those who had fled. A rider came to Caesar from Quintus Atrius, to report that the preceding night on the beach, a storm had dashed some of the ships to pieces and cast them up on the shore. Caesar ordered his two legions and cavalry to be recalled and they returned to the beachhead. The storm had thwarted Caesar's 'blitzkrieg' and this fortuitous delay gave the local tribes time to regroup and call for help. All the ships were brought up on shore and joined with the camp by one fortification (like Troy :-) This repair of ships and fortification took about ten days.

By 19/20^th July, the ships having been brought up on shore and the camp strongly fortified, Caesar set out in person for the same place that he had returned from - the Bigbury oppidum. More Britons had already arrived, the chief command and management of the 'war' having been entrusted to Cassivellaunus. Cassivellaunus was a clever fighter, he denied Romans foraged food and used guerrilla tactics but eventually Roman discipline and tactics won the battle. Caesar recalls that the Trinobantes, the Cenimagni, the Segontiaci, the Ancalites, the Bibroci, and the Cassi, surrendered themselves. From them he learned that the chief town of Cassivellaunus (Wheathampstead?) was not far away. While Caesar was to the north, the Deal beachhead was attacked but the assault repulsed. Cassivellaunus finally surrendered and gave hostages. There was trouble back in Gaul too so Caesar returned to Gaul before the equinox (September 21^st) to overwinter there.

Click: Read Caesar on Britannia                                       Click: Read Strabo on Britannia

Click: Read Cassius Dio on Britannia                             Click: Read Pliny the Elder on Britannia

CAESAR'S ROUTE

It is not certain which way he went from Canterbury. He will have to have made a crossing of the Medway somewhere like Aylesford although the river may have been fordable then at Rochester, there is no evidence of either. He faced hit and run tactics, chariots and courageous fighters all the way west. The Roman way of fighting seemed no longer an advantage. On his march towards London he says hills were encountered - North downs? Where the Thames was crossed is open to speculation some say it was Hammersmith or Brentford while others suggest there was an existing at ford at Tilbury, I prefer the latter as it is a better and shorter route to Wheathampstead.

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Notes & Questions

What sort of archaeological evidence might there be for Caesar’s visits, and what difficulties might there be in finding such evidence?  

Should we simply take Caesar’s description of the natives as fact?

Depends. If they were worthy opponents with characteristics you admired: bravery, cunning, etc. But also behave like animals. If they defeated you. Barbarians - not to be trusted, woad, shared wives, peculiar eating habits. No corn just dairy and meat. Had a hard time of fighting Britons needs excuses. C impressed by use of chariots: “mobility of cavalry and the stability of infantry” C’s report to Senate well received. North/South divide! Kent more civilised!

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What do we know of the political context for Caesar’s invasions, and what are his motivations for writing about them?

What does reading Caesar tell us about Kent at this time; can archaeology help?

Caesar writes:

 Archaeology: Hill forts at Bigbury & Wheathampstead? River crossings: Stour, Darenth, Medway, Rochester, Thames, Lea. Roads, place names. Trackways, Topography and Geology. Hills, marshes, woodland, rivers, prime arable land. Kilns, managed /coppice woodland, iron slag, pottery and especially COINAGE. Archaeology tells us that the tribes in Kent were like the coastal Gauls.