ANCIENT PEOPLE ON THE TERRITORY OF THE BRITISH ISLES THE INVASION OF THE CELTS

THE INVASION OF THE CELTS. The romans
(6th – 3d cent.

BC)

primitive people, who lived on hunting and used rough flints
200,000

years ago – stone hand-axes and other implements
50,000 years ago – open-air camps; the most ancient - near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex and Boxgrove in Sussex
35,000-40,000 years BC – caves in Somerset, Devon, Derbyshire and Kent; traces of occupancy left by Neanderthal man
10,000 BC – Old Stone Age men; hunters, gatherers and fishers; few homes
Around 6,000 BC – the end of the last Ice Age, Britain became an island

(the Iberians):
a primitive agriculture
domesticated animals
pottery
earthwork enclosures on the hilltops

(Windmill Hill, Avery)
flint used as weapons

language
military and metalworking skills
bronze tools and weapons
the first individual graves,

furnished with pottery beakers

century BC – the Celts
6th century BC – the first

wave, the Gaels; driven into the mountains of Wales and Scotland
600-500 BC – the second wave, the Brithons; settled in the South of England, in Wales, in Northwest England and Southwest Scotland; metal spears, swords, daggers and axes
About 500 BC – the first wheeled carts
About 400 BC – iron; a revival of the hilltop camps; development of the tribal system; no towns; hill-forts (Maiden Castle in Dorset) and farms, often surrounded by small enclosures; permanent fields, pastures.

the Belgae
Occupied the central part of the island
Chariots, horseman
Started to

build towns in the valleys
Introduced silver and copper coins

and other Roman authors
Julius Caesar, ‘Commentaries on the Gallic War’

Archeological findings
Myth and legend

Sometimes they had more authority than the chiefs. The druids

were considered to be enchanters. They met together in dark woods, which they called Sacred Groves, to worship gods and spirits and to look for the signs able to predict the future. They probably practiced human sacrifice to soften the rage of the gods. The druids were also the keepers of knowledge. They taught young men as pupils, and the course of studies sometimes lasted for twenty years.

the Romans in Germany, Gaul, and Spain
Refugees from Gaul were

welcomed and sheltered in Britannia
Economic reasons:
Britain had become an important food producer
Exported corn and animals, hunting dogs and slaves
Could be a source of gaining wealth
10 thousand men (2 legions)
A short battle
Caesar’s problems with ships
The result: Caesar imposed only nominal terms and took hostages to the mainland

and some cavalry
Penetrated to where London now stands
Opposition of the

joined Celtic forces
The partisan tactics of the Celts were not a success
The Celts gave away hostages and promised tribute and submission

military results were modest, but Britons stopped to fight in

Gaul
Britain was put on the Roman map and this created an important precedent for further interventions
In the following hundred years the British developed a life of their own with the growing contacts with the mainland and the Roman Empire
The trade developed
Cultural links were established

Britain
In two big battles the Romans conquered the southern part

of the island
Britain was made a province of the Empire
For more than four centuries it was an integral part of a single political system.

of hostile or suspect Celtic tribes
The end of the

partisan war
Opposition from Scotland; six campaigns of expansion to the north
122-163 AD Hadrian’s Wall;
143 AD Antonine Wall

of temples, courts of justice, and dwelling houses; a liberal

education
In the later period of Roman power – more of trade relations, a growing difference between the rich and the poor
The written word was important for spreading ideas and establishing state power
The Romans introduced numbers, a 10-month calendar, fixed hours of the day, different types of new tools, pottery and jewellery made from bronze, glass and gold
The Celtic peasantry stayed mostly illiterate and spoke Celtic languages, while town dwellers used Latin and Greek.

few generations the army was locally recruited and almost of

purely British birth
In the Roman world the law dominated and closely regulated the relations between the individual and the State and between individuals
The society was dominated by regulations and procedures contained in official documents

city of about 20,000 people
20 large towns (5,000)
About 100 smaller

ones; built in stone and wood
Planned streets, the forum and basilica
Market and shops, law courts, civic offices and council chambers
Public baths; engineering water supplies
Public monuments; theatres or amphitheatres
Crafts and trades
Straight roads
Stone bridges

and Roman utensils were introduced
Main buildings had several bedrooms, living

rooms with mosaic floors, painted walls, sometimes glass windows; a big kitchen
Some villas had central heating with hot water running under floors
Villas belonged to the richer Britons and sometimes Romans
All villas were connected with roads
Villas were usually situated close to towns, so that the crops could be sold easily
Export of corn, hides, cattle, and iron

to the country in about 200 AD from Gaul
In AD

324 Christianity became Roman’s official religion by Emperor Constantine, who was a Romano-Britain
By that time England had three bishops – at Lincoln, London and York.