Ancient Britain and the Invasions of Julius Caesar
HENRY FROWDE, M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH NEW YORK AND TORONTO
This book is in one sense a companion of my Caesar’s Conquest of Gaul ; and much that was written in the preface of that volume is equally applicable here. The last three chapters of Part I, and the later articles in Part II, are intended to do for Britain what I formerly tried to do for Gaul; but whereas the main object was then to illustrate the conquest, and the opening chapter was merely introductory, my aim in these pages has been to tell the story of man’s life in our island from the earliest times in detail. What has been called ‘prehistory’ cannot be written without knowledge of archaeology; but from the historical standpoint archaeological details must be handled, not for their own sake, but only in so far as they illustrate the development of culture. The two books are constructed on the same principle: in this, as in the other, the second part is devoted to questions which could not properly be discussed in narrative or quasi-narrative chapters, though I am encouraged by the judgement of expert critics, British, American, and Continental, of Caesar’s Conquest of Gaul , to hope that general readers who are interested in these matters may not find the articles which deal with them tedious. Those on Stonehenge, Ictis, and the ethnology of Britain, although they controvert certain opinions which are commonly accepted, will, I hope, tend to place facts in their true light. Two articles deal with well-worn themes,—the identity of the Portus Itius, and the place of Caesar’s landing in Britain. These problems have been pronounced by eminent scholars, including Mommsen, to be insoluble; nevertheless, I venture to affirm that in both cases the inquiry has now been worked out to demonstration. Critics who may be disposed to regard this claim as arrogant or frivolous will, I trust, read the articles through before passing judgement upon them. The questions would have been settled long ago if any competent writer had bestowed upon them as much care as has been expended in investigating Hannibal’s passage over the Alps.
T. Rice Holmes
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PREFACE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER II
THE PALAEOLITHIC AGE
CHAPTER III
THE NEOLITHIC AGE
CHAPTER IV
THE BRONZE AGE AND THE VOYAGE OF PYTHEAS
CHAPTER V
THE EARLY IRON AGE
CHAPTER VI
CAESAR’S FIRST INVASION OF BRITAIN
CHAPTER VII
CAESAR’S SECOND INVASION OF BRITAIN
CHAPTER VIII
THE RESULTS OF CAESAR’S INVASIONS OF BRITAIN
THE ETHNOLOGY OF ANCIENT BRITAIN
I. INTRODUCTION
III. EOLITHIC MAN(?)
IV. PALAEOLITHIC MAN
V. THE PYGMIES (?)
VI. NEOLITHIC MAN
VII. THE ‘PICTISH QUESTION’
VIII. THE ROUND-HEADS
IX. THE CELTS
X. CONCLUSION
THE BIRTHDAY OF RELIGION
DUMBUCK, LANGBANK, DUNBUIE
INHUMATION AND CREMATION
SEPULCHRAL POTTERY
STONEHENGE
THE CASSITERIDES, ICTIS, AND THE BRITISH TRADE IN TIN
I. THE CASSITERIDES
II. ICTIS AND THE BRITISH TRADE IN TIN
DENE-HOLES
THE COAST BETWEEN CALAIS AND THE SOMME IN THE TIME OF CAESAR
THE CONFIGURATION OF THE COAST OF KENT IN THE TIME OF CAESAR
I. BETWEEN RAMSGATE AND SANDOWN CASTLE
II. BETWEEN SANDOWN CASTLE AND WALMER CASTLE
III. THE GOODWIN SANDS
IV. THE SOUTH FORELAND AND THE DOVER CLIFFS
V. DOVER HARBOUR
VI. BETWEEN DOVER AND SANDGATE
VII. ROMNEY MARSH
PORTUS ITIUS
I. REVIEW OF THE CONTROVERSY
II. THE DATA FURNISHED BY CAESAR, STRABO, AND PTOLEMY
III. CAESAR SAILED FROM THE PORTUS ITIUS ON BOTH HIS EXPEDITIONS
IV. THE VALUE OF CAESAR’S ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PORTUS ITIUS AND BRITAIN
V. THE ESTUARY OF THE SOMME
VI. AMBLETEUSE
VII. CALAIS
VIII. WISSANT
IX. BOULOGNE
THE PLACE OF CAESAR’S LANDING IN BRITAIN
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE DATA FURNISHED BY CAESAR AND OTHER ANCIENT WRITERS
III. THE DAY ON WHICH CAESAR LANDED IN 55 B.C.
IV. DID CAESAR LAND AT THE SAME PLACE IN BOTH HIS EXPEDITIONS?
V. THE VARIOUS THEORIES ABOUT CAESAR’S PLACE OF LANDING
VI. THE QUESTION OF THE TIDES
VII. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED AT PEVENSEY
VIII. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED AT LYMPNE OR HYTHE
IX. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED AT HURST
X. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED BETWEEN HURST AND KENNARDINGTON
XI. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED BETWEEN WALMER AND DEAL
XII. THE THEORY THAT CAESAR LANDED AT RICHBOROUGH OR SANDWICH
THE CREDIBILITY OF CAESAR’S NARRATIVE OF HIS INVASIONS OF BRITAIN
THE DISEMBARKATION OF THE ROMANS IN 55 B. C.
THE SITE OF CAESAR’S CAMP IN 55, AND OF HIS NAVAL CAMP IN 54 B. C.
THE WAR-CHARIOTS OF THE BRITONS
THE OPERATIONS OF THE BRITONS DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF CAESAR’S FIRST EXPEDITION
WHERE DID CAESAR ENCOUNTER THE BRITONS ON THE MORNING AFTER HIS SECOND LANDING IN BRITAIN?
CAESAR’S SECOND COMBAT WITH THE BRITONS IN 54 B. C.
THE COMBAT BETWEEN TREBONIUS AND THE BRITONS
WHERE DID CAESAR CROSS THE THAMES?
CAESAR’S PASSAGE OF THE THAMES
THE SITE OF CASSIVELLAUNUS’S STRONGHOLD
THE JULIAN CALENDAR AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF CAESAR’S INVASIONS OF BRITAIN
TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES
ADDENDA
INDEX
FOOTNOTES:
Transcriber’s Note:
