AH11

1. Roman Britain:
From Celts to Caesar

2. Preconceptions

3. Images of Ritual Feasting and Roman / Native interaction

4. Iron Age
v
Roman

5. Periodisation
• Iron Age (Celts) (500-50 BCE)
• Roman Influence (55 BCE-43 CE)
• Roman Domination (43 CE – 410 CE)
• Sub Roman (Britons) (410 CE - ?)

6. Prehistoric Britain

9. From Foragers to Farmers
Mesolithic – Neolithic Transition
Monument
Builders

10. Influences
• Neolithic – Introduction of agriculture,
Monumental stone construction
• Chalcolithic – Introductions of metal working
• Bronze Age – Improved metal-working
• Iron age

11. Iron Age Periodisation
• Hallstatt ~700-500 BCE
• La Têne ~500 BCE - Roman
• Belgae ~150 BCE - Roman

12. Celtic Language

13. Celtic Language Groups
Brythonic
• Welsh
• Breton
• Cornish
• Gaulish
Substitute p for q
Son (m)ap
Horse epos
Goidelic
• Gaelic (Irish)
• Gaelic (Scottish)
• Manx
Q (kw) written as c
Son mac
Horse equos

14. The Iron Age
• Hallstat c.700-600 BCE in Austria
– Burials in 4 wheel chariots
– Serpent with ram’s head
– Gold torcs

15. • Harder than Bronze…
• … but unlike stone can be repaired if broken
• Easily spotted – Iron rusts (turns red) so rocks with iron in
them will be a red colour
• High concentrations available in bogs
Why bother using Iron?

16. Lyn Fawr Hoard
750-600 BCE

17. Maiden Castle

18. Neolithic Maiden Castle

19. Iron Age Maiden Castle

20. Effects of Agricultural Expansion

21. Agriculture/Land Use

22. Population Growth
100
1,000
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
9000 8000 7000 5000 2000 1000 0
Year (BC)
Population

23. Vix Burial

24. Hallstatt Cult Wagon
Strettweg , Austria 7th c. BCE

25. The Middle Iron Age
• La Tene c. 500 BCE centered on Rhine and
Marne
– Two wheeled chariots
– Vegetative designs

26. From Hallstatt to la Tene
Hallstatt La Tene

27. Wetwang Chariot Burial 1

28. Wetwang Chariot Burial 2

31. Coral and enamel studs
On horse bit

32. Weaving – Antler comb

33. Battersea Shield

34. Newbridge Chariot Burial

35. Newbridge Chariot Burial

36. Philip
Late
Celtic
Evolution of Celtic Coins

37. Potin from Gaul, Winchester, 70 BCE

38. Potin, Dingar, Essex, 100-50 BCE

39. Potins
c. 100 BCE

40. Staters
Westerham Stater
c. 70 BCE
Chute Stater

41. Bugthorpe Scabbard

42. Birdlip Grave

43. Desborough and Birdlip Mirrors
Dated after Caesar’s invasion

44. Winchester Hoard

46. Trade with the Continent

47. Social strata
• Civitates-tribes
• Pagi-kinship units or clans
– Kings
– Class of knights (equitates)
– Class that included artists, craftsmen, bards,
lawyers, genealogists, musicians and Druids.

48. Diet
• High protein diet
• No differences between
sexes
• No differences between
chariot burial and others
• No detectable
consumption of marine
resources

49. Iron Age Village
Chysauster, Cornwall

50. Iron Age Village
Chysauster, Cornwall

51. Chysauster-Reconstruction

52. Chysauster, Cornwall

53. Chysauster on the Ground

54. Timber Hut – Iron Age
Carn Euny

55. Fogou

57. Agriculture
Changes in the Iron Age
• Increasing population
• Use of land formerly marginal

58. Enclosures

59. Lynchets

60. Celtic Fields, Butser Hill, Hamps.

61. Crops
Cereals
– Emmer, Einkhorn, Rivet and Spelt.
– Oats were grown mainly for animal feed
– Rye is another grain used for baking as bread.
– Barley for beer
Vegetables
– Peas, Beans Onions, Garlic, Carrots, and Cabbage.
Dye Plants
– Woad -Blue dye
– Madder-Red dye
– Weld -Yellow dye

62. Iron Age Cattle(?) – Dexter Cattle

63. Iron Age Sheep

64. Iron Age Agricultural Tools

65. Revolutionary domestic appliance
Saddle quern, Cornwall Rotary quern, Yorkshire

66. Roman Knowledge of Britain

67. Mediterranean Reports
• C.600 IERNE (Ireland) and ALBION (Britain)
described in Massilia (Marseille)
• 325 BCE Pytheas, a Phoenician claims he had
sailed around Britain
• 135-150 BCE Posidonius, or Poseidonios - of Syria
writes about Druids
• 56 BCE Diodorus Siculus combines accounts
CantiumBelerium
Orca

68. Posidonius’ Map (150-130 B.C.)

69. Tribes

70. Religion and its Manifestations
• Causeways 1500-300 BCE
• Deposits in waterways
• Shrines 400 BCE-43 CE
– Often connected with Romano-British temples
• Druids

71. Fiskerton, Causeway Excavation
457-300 BCE

72. Fiskerton log boat

73. Trackway, Corlea

74. Iron Age Road?

75. Witham Shield
400-300 BCE

76. Development of a Shrine
Phases – Hayling Island
• Phase I: Two enclosures and pit ~50 BCE
– Association with Belgae and Commius?
• Phase II Temple: Circular structure surrounds
pit ~0-25 CE
• Roman Temple ~60 CE

78. Human Sacrifice ?

79. Human Sacrifice
Cauldron found In
Denmark

80. Druids
• Repository of traditional knowledge
– Gods
– Tribal Law
• Administration of justice.
• Supervision of sacrifices.
• Used lunar calendar.

81. Goddess? Sulis?

82. Epona
•Goddess of horses;
fertility
•Found throughout
Romano-Celtic area

83. Celt and Roman Worldviews
• Nature
• Human sacrifice
• Individualistic
• Abstract
• Higher status for women
• Oral tradition
• Engineering
• Execution
(abolished human sacrifice in 97
BCE)
• Organized
• Realistic
• Low status for women
• Written tradition

84. Trade

85. Trade –Roman Influence

86. SE England

87. Oppida
• Administrative centers
• Fortified
• Industrial
• Trading centers
• Mints

88. Impending Clash
• Rivalry between tribes
• Relationship with Gauls
• Roman expansion into Gaul
• An ambitious warrior - Caesar