Based on new evidence, a team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester suggests that the first landing of Julius Caesar's fleet in Britain took place in 54 BC. at Pegwell Bay, on the Isle of Thanet, the north-eastern tip of Kent.
This location corresponds to Caesar's account of his landing in 54 BC, with three clues to the topography of the landing site that are consistent with his landing at Pegwell Bay: its visibility from the sea, the existence of a large open bay, and the presence of higher terrain nearby. Dr Fitzpatrick explained: "Sailing somewhere between Boulogne and Calais, Caesar says that at dawn they saw Britain in the distance on the port side. As they sailed in front of the cliffs of Dover, Caesar can only describe the white cliffs of chalk around Ramsgate, as they were illuminated by the rising sun. Caesar describes how the ships were left anchored on a flat, open coast and how they were damaged by a great storm. This description is consistent with Pegwell Bay, which is now the largest bay of the east coast of Kent and is open and flat. The bay is large enough for the entire Roman army to land on the single day described by Caesar. Caesar also describes how the Britons had gathered to oppose the landing but, taken by surprise by the size of the fleet, hid on higher ground. This is consistent with the higher terrain on the Isle of Thanet, around Ramsgate. These three clues to the topography of the landing site, namely the presence of cliffs, the existence of a large open bay and the presence of higher ground nearby are consistent with the 54 BC landing. occurred in Pegwell Bay."
The University of Leicester project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, was motivated by the discovery of a large defensive ditch during archaeological excavations carried out before the construction of a new road. The shape of the moat at Ebbsfleet, a hamlet of Thanet, is very similar to some Roman defenses of Alésia in France, where in 52 BC. the decisive battle of the Gallic war took place. The site, at Ebbsfleet on the Isle of Thanet in north-east Kent, overlooking Pegwell Bay, is now 900 meters inland but at the time of Caesar's invasions was closer to the coast. The ditch is 4-5 meters wide and 2 meters deep and is dated via ceramic and radiocarbon dating to the 1st century BC. The size, shape, date of Ebbsfleet's defenses and the presence of iron weapons including a Roman pilum (javelin) suggest that the Ebbsfleet site was once a 1st century BC Roman base. whose main purpose was to protect the ships of Caesar's fleet, docked on the nearby beach.
Source: University of Leicester
https://phys.org/news/2017-11-evidence-julius-caesar-invasion-britain.html
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