Sep 24
The inspiration for this work came from the author Rosemary Sutcliff and her book ‘The Eagle of the Ninth’ which she wrote in 1954. Although a fictional book it was based on a fact believed in at that time. In the 1990’s many people still refer to the Ninth as the ‘Lost Legion’; this response has caused me to question whether a legion had been lost in Roman Britain.
Sep 24
Roman References – Roman political background to the conquest of the Brigantes Maps of Roman forts covering and Britain, Wales and . Maps of , and Maps of and Gaul.
Sep 24
The Demetae Location of the tribe The south eaat coast of Wales Principal towns and settlements in Demetae territory Moridunum – (Carmarthen, Dyfed) – Possibly the site of a Flavian fort. The only polis attributed to the tribe by Ptolemy, the location of this settlement was also known as Muridunum. The civitas capital may have …
Sep 24
Though these may seem fairly accurate, more recent interpretations of how Celtic warriors looked in the late La Tène or Iron Age period before the Claudian invasions in Gaul and Britain are available.
Sep 24
CELTS IN BATTLE Polybius, who lived between about 202 and 120 BC, gives a full account of how the Celts fought at the battle of Telamon in 225 BC; it is worth quoting at length because it highlights several recurring characteristics: ‘The Celts had drawn up the Gaesatae from the Alps to face their enemies …
Sep 24
Celtic Marriage Customs and Status of Women from The High Kings: Arthur’s Celtic Ancestors by Joy Chant Pages 36-36 Marriage was usually lifelong and to one partner, but there were other forms. One interesting custom was the “temporary marriage.” The laws list ten kinds of marriage, of which only three were permanent. Full marriages were …
Sep 24
The establishment of the tribes Introduction Tacitus Who the first inhabitants of Britain were, whether natives or immigrants, remains obscure; one must remember we are dealing with barbarians. The way in which the individual tribes developed is not known. The Celtic langauge and its dialects did not have a written form, so the recording o …
Sep 24
To the Romans, the Celts presented a terrifying sight because of their tall stature and their strange appearance.
Sep 24
An interesting legacy of Celtic culture is the custom of burying the dead in barrows surrounded by a square ditch. This was a uniquely British phenomenon.
Sep 24
To look upon the tribes of Britain as just a bunch of savages is totally erroneous. Each tribe had thriving industries based on manufactured goods. Whether these goods were made in the homes of individual families, or in group workshops. The products of Celtic craftspeople were just as stunning as any Roman artefact.
