The Roman soldiers stood in the surf, chest-deep in the cold water, and they hesitated. It was 55 BC, and Julius Caesar had just brought his invasion fleet to the coast of Britain. He had come to a land the Romans barely understood, a place beyond the edge of the known world. But the Britons were ready for him.
They lined the shore in their chariots, hurling insults and javelins, while the foot warriors waded into the sea to meet the invaders. Caesar had expected to land at Dover, but the cliffs were covered with hostile tribesmen. His cavalry had failed to rendezvous with him, and his agent Commius, sent ahead to negotiate peace, had been captured and thrown in chains. The Britons had no intention of welcoming Rome.
But Caesar was not a man to turn back. He sailed along the coast until he found a place to land, and the Britons followed him every step of the way, ready to fight. The assault paused. The water was deep, and the Roman soldiers did not want to jump in.
Then one man changed everything. The standard-bearer of the Tenth Legion, carrying the sacred eagle of his unit, cried out: “Jump down, soldiers, unless you want to betray our eagle to the enemy. I at least shall have done my duty to the republic and to my commander. ”
He flung himself into the water and charged toward the enemy.
The rest of the men, ashamed to let him go alone, followed him into the surf. The battle lasted all day. The Britons tried to isolate small groups of Romans and overwhelm them, but the Roman discipline held. Their short stabbing swords were deadly against the British long slashing blades.
Their heavy shields formed a moving wall, and their javelins and artillery rained down from the flanks. It was the only successful contested landing in British history. Caesar was on British soil, but his troubles were far from over. He had no cavalry.
His horsemen had missed the tide and never made it across. Without them, he had no scouts and no way to forage for food. He had come light, planning to live off the land, but the Britons attacked every group he sent out. Caesar realized the campaign was hopeless.
He gathered his men and sailed back to Gaul. His invasion had failed. But as he stood on the shore before leaving, he looked out at the island. He had learned what he needed to know.
He was certain he would be back and knew exactly where he would land. A year later, in 54 BC, Caesar returned. This time he came with over 800 ships and five legions, along with cavalry. The Britons saw the fleet approaching and knew they could not stop it.
The Romans landed unopposed and built a marching camp near what is now the Isle of Thanet. The site of that camp was discovered just a few years ago, hidden under a field in Kent. Archaeologists found the remains of ditches and a Roman spear point. They also found human bones at the bottom of one ditch, bones that showed unhealed wounds.
These were the remains of someone who had died violently and been thrown away without burial. Not a Roman soldier, who would have been given a formal funeral, but perhaps a British warrior, a prisoner, or someone caught trying to break into the camp. Caesar had chosen his location well. The camp sat on a promontory surrounded by a wide waterway, making it nearly impossible to attack.
From there, Caesar marched his army inland. His scouts found a British stronghold on a hill overlooking the River Stour, a place called Bigbury. Caesar marched his men through the night to surprise the defenders. At the hill fort, the Britons prepared for a siege.
The Romans formed their famed testudo, locking their shields together to form a shell, and forced their way inside. Archaeologists have not found weapons or remains from this battle, but recent laser scanning has revealed something strange on the hillside: an unnatural slope that may be the remains of the earth ramp Caesar built to break into the fort. After the battle, Caesar turned his attention to the leader of the British resistance, Cassivellaunus, king of the Catuvellauni tribe. To reach him, Caesar had to cross a mighty river he called the Tamesis, today known as the Thames.
The crossing was not easy. The river was deep, and the Roman soldiers had to wade through it neck-deep while the far shore was defended with sharpened stakes. But the stakes were not enough to stop Caesar. When he finally faced Cassivellaunus, the battle was brief.
In Caesar’s own account, he wrote only: “The enemy, having remained only a short time, did not sustain the attack of our soldiers and hurried away. ”
The Britons realized they could not win. They agreed to pay tribute to Rome and handed over hostages. Caesar did not stay.
He returned to his ships and sailed back to Gaul before the weather turned. He would never set foot in Britain again. For him, the job was done. Britain was now within the circle of Roman influence, and the map of the known world had been extended.
For most Britons, life returned to normal. Trade with Rome actually increased, which benefited many of the southern tribes. But Caesar’s invasion had shown Rome the way. Nearly a hundred years later, the emperor Claudius would mount an even more daring invasion, one aimed at truly conquering the island.
The fate of Britain was sealed, and everything was about to change forever.
