Page 74 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Caesar’s invasion of Britain

Caesar’s notebook

Caesar’s book The Gallic Wars was
writtenwhilehewasliterallymaking
history. In it, he recorded, among other
things his impressions of British life
Geography

The island is triangular, and on
ofitssidesisoppositetoGau
This side extends 500 miles.
Another side lies toward Spain
andthewestandis700mile
The third side is toward the
north. This side is 800 miles
in length. The island is about
2,000 miles in circumference
People

All the Britons dye themselves
a bluish colour, and thereby
have a more terrible
appearance in fight. They wear
their hair long, and have every
part of their body shaved
except for their head and
upper lip.

Warriors
Their mode of fighting with their chariots is this: firstly,
they drive in all directions, throwing their weapons to
break the ranks of the enemy, they then leap from their
chariots and engage on foot. The charioteers in the
meantime withdraw from battle so that if their masters
are overpowered, they may have a ready retreat.

Technology
They have boats, the
keels and ribs of which Caesar’s murder at the
aremadeoflight hands of Rome’s senators,
timber,then,therest including his old ally
ofthehulloftheships Brutus, saw him stabbed
is wrought with wicker no less than 23 times
work, and covered over
with hides.
Resources
The number of cattle is
Religion great. They use either
brass or iron rings,
Druidism is thought to have determined at a certain
originated in Britannia, and to weight, as their money.
have been thence introduced Tin is produced in the
into Gaul, and even now those midland regions; in the
who wish to become more maritime, iron; but the
accurately acquainted with it, quantity of it is small:
generally repair thither, for the they employ brass,
sake of learning it. which is imported.

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