First evidence of Julius Caesar’s invasion of Britain unearthed

LONDON: Archaeologists have discovered evidence showing that Roman statesman and general Julius Caesar first invaded Britain in 54 BC.

The findings, led by researchers from the University of Leicester, suggests that Caesar’s fleet first landed at Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet, the north-east point of Kent in 54 BC.

The discovery of a defensive ditch and iron weapons, including a Roman pilum (javelin), during an excavation ahead of a new road being built, led them to identify the location.

The 4-5 metres wide and 2 metres deep ditch at Ebbsfleet, a hamlet in Thanet, is very similar in shape to some of the Roman defences in France, the researchers said.

The site, which is currently a 900 metre inland, was 20 hectares in size at the time of Caesar’s invasion.

It was also more closer to the coast, with the main purpose to protect the ships of Caesar’s fleet that were drawn up on to the nearby beach.

Caesar’s own account of his landing in 54 BC is consistent with the landing site identified, the researchers noted.

“The presence of cliffs, the existence of a large open bay, and the presence of higher ground nearby, are consistent with the 54 BC landing having been in Pegwell Bay,” said Andrew Fitzpatrick, Research Associate at the varsity.

“The bay is big enough for the whole Roman army to have landed in the single day that Caesar describes.

The 800 ships, even if they landed in waves, would still have needed a landing front 1-2 km wide,” Fitzpatrick added.

Caesar’s 54 BC invasion, which is believed to have ended in retreat, came almost 100 years before Claudius’s conquest in AD 43.

“Almost 100 years after Caesar, in AD 43 the emperor Claudius invaded Britain. This was the beginning of the permanent Roman occupation of Britain, which included Wales and some of Scotland, and lasted for almost 400 years, suggesting that Claudius later exploited Caesar’s legacy,” explained Colin Haselgrove, from the varsity.