Archaeologists from the University of Leicester discovered the first material evidence of the invasion of Britannia (the name by which the Romans knew the island of Great Britain) by Julius Caesar in 54 BC
Based on this evidence, they suggest that the initial landing of the Roman troops was at Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet, northeast of present-day Kent.
This location coincides with César's own testimony in which he mentions three topographical elements:visibility from the sea, the existence of a wide bay and the nearby presence of high ground.
The project promoted by the University of Leicester consisted of studies of the nearby hills that could have been attacked, the analysis of objects that could have been made or buried at the time of the invasion and that are now kept in museums, such as coins, and in situ excavations in Kent.
The investigation started from the discovery of a defensive ditch in Ebbsfleet, near Thanet, very similar to some Roman defensive constructions in Alesia, where the decisive battle of 52 BC took place. in Gaul.
Ebbsfleet today lies 900 meters inland, but in the 1st century B.C. it was much closer to shore. In the trench, which is between 4 and 5 meters wide and another 2 meters deep, pottery remains from the 1st century BC, iron weapons and a pilum were found. or Roman javelin. Archaeologists believe that it was part of a fortification designed to protect the ships of Caesar's fleet.
Pegwell Bay is large enough that the entire Roman army could land in a single day, as Caesar claims. Only here the 800 ships could have had a front of between 1 and 2 kilometers wide to make the landing in unison.
Caesar also states that the Britons, gathered to oppose the landing, would have hidden in the highlands, surprised at the size of the fleet. This would coincide with the presence of high ground on the island around Ramsgate.
According to Colin Haselgrove, lead researcher on the project, the treaties Caesar established formed the basis for the alliances between Rome and the British ruling families. Therefore, 100 years later, when Claudius invaded the island, the conquest was quick, thanks to these allies.
Previously Pegwell's Bay had not been considered because until the Middle Ages Thanet was an island, today joined to the rest of Great Britain.