The Celtic Britain

The Celtic Britain



The first people of the type of Homo Sapiens lived in nowadays Britain in late Old Stone Age as far as some 40,000 years ago. Those were the cave dwellers dependent wholly upon hunting, fishing and gathering wild fruits.

The first settlers of the modern age came to Britain during the period of the New Stone Age around 3,000 BC. They settled along the chalk hills of The first people of the type of Homo Sapiens lived in nowadays Britain in late Old Stone Sussex and in the fertile-soiled Southeast of the island. They were completely unwarlike. They grew crops and bred domestic animals, knew pottery and used flint-tools, especially the hand axes. They lived in small tribal groups ruled by a chieftain and buried their dead in the mound barrows. These people are also known with building of the Henges of which many are even now visible.

These Henges seem to have been of a great importance to the folks. They can be found all around Britain as well as in Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland and in the Orkneys. They possibly served as a meeting or ceremonial points whereas the relation to the Sun- or Moon phases can not be fully excluded. Gradually their importance diminished and receded to that of the oppida, which had become the seats of the warchiefs or local kings. Around 2000 BC another group, the one which we now call “The Beaker folk” because of the pottery usually included in their graves, began to move from the continent to the Isles. They knew the technology of smelting the tin and copper and thus the Bronze Age had begun.

From the 8th to the 5th century BC the Celtic tribes occupying the area of north - western Germany and the Netherlands started to invade Britain. There were three main streams of this invasion: The Gaels who settled in Ireland and the North of Scotland where they developed a strong tribal society. The second were the most numerous Britons who were coming during the 5th century BC and settled in the Southeast of England, whenceforth the island has got its name. The last of the major Celtic or Gaelic peoples were the Belgae who came about 100 BC and settled mostly in the area of nowadays Kent and the Southeast of the island.

They founded the hill forts, minted coins after the Roman fashion (king Cunobelinus, later co-memorised by William Shakespeare), introduced iron to Britain and the enhanced plough and thus advanced the system of agriculture.
They were warlike by nature and the natives were subdued or slain or had to flee and seek refuge in the mountains of the north and west or on the barren peninsula of Cornwall. Their society was quite highly developed. They combined the tribal society with the national alliances with the chieftains chosen from the most powerful family either by election or as a result of a bloody match. They loved fine arts of which the decorative knotworks are now the best known, boasting, they were especially keen on the personal fame and honour and a strong feelings of a warrior pride. Traditions were of a great importance in their culture. They had but a few laws of which the Weregild or “the ransom of blood” was the most important, money paid as a compensation for the slain, which prevented the ever-at-war society from being plagued by the perpetual raids and war for revenge.

The Celtic society was ruled over by a supreme warrior and his suit of premium warriors, who were his vassals in return for the cattle provided. There was also an essential role of the Druids. They were not the priests, as it is often misunderstood. They were more a sort of honoured scholars, untouchable and ever-respected judges and historians keeping the traditions and rites up. Were there a quarrel or a matter of disputation, a Druid was called to find the solution. However they gathered now and then (rituals of Beltane, the Celtic New Year…) around the henges, it is certain, that they built none. Also the stories of the mass human sacrifices are not factual.

In the 1st century BC the Roman Empire had reached its climax. Its borders were stretching as far as the Iberian Peninsula in the West, nowadays Germany in the North Africa to the South and nowadays Turkey in the East and its influence even further. Right the Romans (Tacitus, Diodorus Siculus or Caesar) give us the first written records on the Celts. In the year 55 BC emperor Gaius Iulius Caesar made an attempt co conquer Britain. The two main reasons were the wealth of the island (Britain was exporting crop and slaves), which was seen as a great and but a little defended source of supplies and the fact, that the Celts were aiding their Gaelic kindred resisting the Roman legions on the continent. The underestimated Britons put up a strong resistance and Caesar was forced to resolve the campaign and withdraw with a fixed yearly tribute. After his assassination in the year 44 BC the political situation in Rome changed. Soon the idea of Britain conquered and attached to the Empire as Provincia Britannia was renewed.
In the year 43 AD the emperor Claudius sent legions II. Augusta, IX. Hispana, XIV.

Gemina and XX. Valeria (some 24,000 men-in-arms) under the command of his general Allus Plautus forth to subdue the Isles and gain dominion over the land. Due to the disunity of the Celts the well-trained and disciplined legions had only a few major problems such as the resistance of the Catavelauni tribe (king Cunobelinus). There were several battles including the great onslaught on the Maiden Castle in today` s Dorset and the following massacre of men, women and children, where Vespasianus, the future Roman emperor won his renown. Britain was stated a province. As the Romans had the land conquered, they began to romanize it. The legions founded their bases (castra – camp) in Leicester, Lincoln, Caerleon and Wroxeter. The province was divided into municipalities and cantons corresponding with the tribal territories, improved the farming technology, begun to build roads and towns. Londoneum (London), Verulamium (St. Albans) and Camulodunum (Colchester) became important trade points. Soon the Pax Romana was established and its benefits in terms of an increasing trade and new culture were evident. Some of the Celtic sovereigns accepted the Roman sway, yielded to the authority of the emperor, swore allegiance to him and became his vassals. In this situation Suetonius Paulinus, the new governor comes to Britain.

Despite the Pax Romana there were many such chieftains who resisted the Roman power and refused to accept their sway. The crucial points were the arrogant Roman governing officers, the taxes diminishing the freedom of the Celts, the confiscation of the land, which was then divided between the roman veterans in order to lure the new settlers to seize the tribes tighter.


One of those, who had accepted the roman dominion, was Prasutag, the chief of the Iceni tribe in the East of Britain. When he died, it was revealed that he had, in order to secure the tribe, appointed the Emperor an heir of a half of the Iceni land. The pride of the tribe was torn to pieces. He left an exasperated widow, Boadicea, and two soon-to-be-adult daughters. These were another crucial factor. Married to a chief of another powerful tribe, they would mean a serious peril. The proud and angry queen was whipped and her daughters raped to become unacceptable for a fitting groom. This brought the Iceni to the boil. After Suetonius Paulinus destroyed the druid school in Anglesey (Isle of Mona) in 59 AD, which he thought to be the centre of the resistance, the Iceni revolted.

Soon the whole of the Britain` s South was aflame.
Boadicea with her tribe, the Duotrigs, Brigants Trinovanites and others who joined them set upon Camulodunum (Colchester), assailed it and burned it to the ground with its temple dedicated to Caludius (as proclaimed God) and eradicated the IX. Legion hasting (too late) to its aid. Self-confident due to the victory they turned to Londoneum (London). Nowadays Capital had some 20,000 inhabitants and of these all were with great cruelty and atrocities slaughtered. London was burned and wiped out. Suetonius Paulinus was helpless, his legions were out of reach and not gathered to stand the Celts and thus Verulamium (St. Albans) was razed and its inhabitants rendered the same fate as those of London. Nothing seemed to possibly hinder Boadicea from driving the Romans from Britain apart from Suetonius Paulinus. 100,000 – 230,000 furious Celts against 11,000 – 13,000 well-trained and disciplined legionaries.





The decisive battle took place somewhere around Mancetter in nowadays Leiceshire. The close Vale gave the Celts no chance to spread and fight effectively the well-organised rows of the Legions. A hecatomb. Within a few hours the battle was over. The rebellion was broken down and all the Celtic resistance alike. Boadicea died, she probably devoured a lethal dose of poison to prevent herself from becoming a token of the roman victory.

Strong oppression and terror followed. Suetonius Paulinus marched to and fro through the land and slew every Celt he encountered. Britain was conquered and finally made a part of the Roman Empire.


In the 5TH century AD Rome was hardly pressed by the endless raids of the Goths and Vandals. The legions were withdrawn from the distant provinces such as Britain to defend the City. Thus it is brought to its end, the Roman dominion over the Isles.

As the legions were gone, Britain was left de facto defenceless. New invaders came raiding. They called themselves the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The Celtic period was gone.