Roman Opponents in Britain

[Viggen]

I think this fits nicely here;

The Great Orme Copper Mine has been named as the largest Bronze Age copper mine in the world and is dating back up to 4,000 years.

 

more at the BBC

 

We also have (in case you missed it) a section about Copper during Roman Times

[Crag]

Since the topic seems to be drifting into Celtic trade...a little while ago I saw a BBC program that claimed the tribes of britain not only exported metals but also large amounts of grain to the continent before and after the roman conquest of Gaul.

 

The narrator even claimed that a motive for the roman conquest was to control the abundant and lucrative grain market within britain especially once advanced roman agricultural practices were introduced turning britain into the "northern bread basket" of the empire.

[Primus Pilus]

I feel more strongly that the mines were the major motivation for the conquest. The supply of silver and other metals was declining by the mid 1st century, and Britain provided an excellent opportunity to replenish the supply.

[Crag]

I agree PP

 

I was just pointing out that the celtic tribes were not isolated noble babarians living in quaint self-sufficent little villages as many believe rather their was an extensive and vibrant resource trade functioning in northern europe well before the romans arrived.

 

Sorry if I was unclear...

[Legionary]

Well I didn't red through all the replies but I can say one thing.

Ancient Germans used to die their entire bodies blue and were considered more powerful there further they were from anybody meaning they were so mean and warlike that they kept everyone away and depended power upon the amount of miles distance to the closest neighbor.

 

I'm not learned enough to know around what time Germans practiced this or if it Had anything to do with the Romans but I figure I might throw in my little bit and see if it was legitimate.

[Primus Pilus]

I don't believe there are any known cases of Germanics using woad. Viggen can confirm or deny this theory better than I can, however. Woad (blue skin paint) was generally a Celt/Pict cultural phenomena.

[Viggen]

Yeah, i believe the Celts were into body painting, not the germanics, and the color blue had as far as i am aware of no significance in the ancient germanic society..

 

regards

viggen

[rvmaximus]

Didn`t Britain offer the Romans much agricultural wealth which was paramount in the times. Roman traders had to be aware of much outside of the empire because of their never ending desire for wealth and things they do not have. Do not think they cared who they went against as long as they had what the Romans wanted. They probably had a lot of knowledge first..especailly about the land and weather. So far north as Britain was to them they had to wonder if the climate can support good agriculture at the time. (ocean current warm Britain realtive to other nothern lands)

[Primus Pilus]

Didn`t Britain offer the Romans much agricultural wealth which was paramount in the times. Roman traders had to be aware of much outside of the empire because of their never ending desire for wealth and things they do not have. Do not think they cared who they went against as long as they had what the Romans wanted. They probably had a lot of knowledge first..especailly about the land and weather. So far north as Britain was to them they had to wonder if the climate can support good agriculture at the time. (ocean current warm Britain realtive to other nothern lands)

 

No, Britannia was never considered important to the Romans as an agricultral resource. It was primarily a source for various metals (ie tin, iron, etc.) and the need for these metals was one factor precipitating the Claudian invasion. Grains for mass distribution and consumption were largely imported from the warmer climates of the Mediterranean. (ie Sicily, Africa, Egypt, even Asia) This is not to say that each province, Britannia included, did not maintain quality farmland, they just produced mainly for the local populations and weren't considered important as export 'granaries'. Considering the large presence of legionaries and auxilia in Britannia, and the logistics of its far off location, its possible that the occupation may have even put a larger strain on the Empire's granaries than if they had never invaded.

 

That hypothesis would require considerably more research, however.

[P.Clodius]

It was primarily a source for various metals (ie tin, iron, etc.) and the need for these metals was one factor precipitating the Claudian invasion.

 

Agreed. Another maybe to stop/deter Frisian (north german/danish) raiding parties from raiding the gallic coastline. Thats a theory I came across only once and have forgot which book it was. But the theory does appeal to me and is a sound strategic move. But then you have to balance that off with dealing with the pain in the a** britannics...!