An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

499. The Roman Conquest of Britain: Julius Caesar’s Invasion (Part 1)

September 29, 2024

Description

Julius Caesar saw the Britons as brutal savages. Yet the Romans romanticised their lack of civilisation, deeming them as untainted by Mediterranean luxury. In 55 BC, after sending scouts along the...
Read more here

Books Referenced

1066 and All That

Author: W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman

Context:

Referenced as a book written in 1930 that makes jokes about British historical knowledge, specifically mentioning that 55 BC and 1066 are the only two dates in the book

Ladybird book about Julius Caesar and the conquest of Britain

Author: Ladybird Books

Context:

Mentioned as a childhood book that presented the Roman conquest of Britain as generally a good thing, introducing hot baths, wine, and straight roads

Commentarii de Bello Gallico (The Gallic War)

Author: Julius Caesar

Context:

Caesar's account of the Gallic War is quoted at the beginning and referenced throughout as the primary source for the Roman invasion of Britain

The Twelve Caesars

Author: Suetonius

Context:

Referenced as Caesar's biographer who reported the story about Caesar seeing Alexander the Great's statue in Cadiz and having a dream about his mother, written about 180 years after the events

On the Ocean

Author: Pytheas

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as 'his book On the Ocean, which hasn't survived, but is quoted a lot' - an ancient Greek text describing Britain, Ireland, and Ultima Thule from around 320 BC

Asterix

Author: René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Context:

Referenced as a comic book series that depicts Vercingetorix throwing his armour down at Caesar's feet, parodying a famous historical image