| 翻訳と辞書 |
| Caesar's invasion of Britain ： ウィキペディア英語版 |
Caesar's invasions of Britain
In the course of his Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar invaded Britain twice: in 55 and 54 BC.〔Caesar, ''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' 4.20–35, 5.1, 8–23; Dio Cassius, ''Roman History'' (39.50–53 ), (40.1–3 ); Florus, ''Epitome of Roman History'' 1.45〕 The first invasion, in late summer, may have been intended as a mere reconnaissance-in-force expedition, or as a full-scale invasion—but if it was an invasion, it was unsuccessful. It gained the Romans little else besides a beachhead on the coast of Kent. The second invasion achieved more: the Romans installed a king, Mandubracius, who was friendly to Rome, and they forced the submission of Mandubracius's rival, Cassivellaunus. No territory was conquered and held for Rome; instead, all Roman-occupied territory was restored to the allied Trinovantes, along with the promised tribute of the other tribes in what is now eastern England.
==Britain before Caesar==
Britain had long been known to the classical world as a source of tin. The coastline had been explored by the Greek geographer Pytheas in the 4th century BC, and may have been explored even earlier, in the 5th, by the Carthaginian sailor Himilco. But to many Romans, the island, lying as it did beyond the Ocean at what was to them the edge of the "known world," was a land of great mystery. Some Roman writers even insisted that it did not exist,〔Plutarch, (Life of Caesar 23.2 )〕 and dismissed reports of Pytheas's voyage as a hoax.〔e.g. Strabo, ''Geography'' (2:4.1 ), written soon after Caesar; Polybius, ''Histories'' (34.5 ) – although his demolition of Pytheas may have been to glorify his own more modest Atlantic expedition – see Barry Cunliffe, ''The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek''〕
Britain during the reign of Julius Caesar had an Iron Age culture, with an estimated population of between one and four million. Archaeological research shows that its economy was broadly divided into lowland and highland zones. In the lowland southeast, large areas of fertile soil made possible extensive arable farming, and communication developed along trackways, such as the Icknield Way, the Pilgrims' Way and the Jurassic Way, and navigable rivers such as the Thames. In the highlands, north of the line between Gloucester and Lincoln, arable land was available in only isolated pockets, so pastoralism, supported by garden cultivation, was more common than settled farming, and communication was more difficult. Settlements were generally built on high ground and fortified, but in the southeast, ''oppida'' had begun to be established on lower ground, often at river crossings, suggesting that trade was becoming more important. Commercial contact between Britain and the continent had increased since the Roman conquest of Transalpine Gaul in 124 BC, and Italian wine was being imported via the Armorican peninsula, much of it arriving at Hengistbury Head in Dorset.〔Sheppard Frere, ''Britannia: a History of Roman Britain'', third edition, 1987, pp. 6–9〕
Caesar's written account of Britain says that the Belgae of northeastern Gaul had previously conducted raids on Britain, establishing settlements in some of its coastal areas, and that within living memory Diviciacus, king of the Suessiones, had held power in Britain as well as Gaul.〔''Commentarii de Bello Gallico'' 2.4, 5.12〕 British coinage from this period shows a complicated pattern of intrusion. The earliest Gallo-Belgic coins that have been found in Britain date to before 100 BC, perhaps as early as 150 BC, were struck in Gaul, and have been found mainly in Kent. Later coins of a similar type were struck in Britain and are found all along the south coast as far west as Dorset. It appears that Belgic power was concentrated on the southeastern coast, although their influence spread further west and inland, perhaps through chieftains establishing political control over the native population.〔Frere, ''Britannia'' pp. 9–15〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
■ウィキペディアで「Caesar's invasions of Britain」の詳細全文を読む
スポンサード リンク
| 翻訳と辞書 : 翻訳のためのインターネットリソース |
Copyright(C) kotoba.ne.jp 1997-2016. All Rights Reserved.
|
|