Armorican States
Caesar is the first Roman writer to give us any historical data concerning the peoples who inhabited the basin of the Rhine. He conquered the tribes on the left bank, and was followed a generation or so later by Augustus, who established numerous fortified posts on the river, but the Romans never succeeded in obtaining a firm occupancy of the right bank.
The Gaulish counterparts of the Atrebates of Belgica Province provided frequent subject matter for Caesar's Gallic Wars, often mentioned in association with his native guide and personal friend Commius (a.k.a. 'Commius the Gaul' or 'Commius the Atrebatean'), who was the Gallic noble entrusted by Caesar to rule the tribe following its initial pacification. Under Augustus, the district known as Sequania formed part of Belgica. Builg is the name given to a hypothetical ancient people believed by some to have lived in south-eastern Ireland, around the modern city of Cork. According to the historical scheme proposed by T.F. O'Rahilly the Builg are identical with or a sub-group of the Érainn or Iverni, who arrived in Ireland ca 500 BC to Picts' Island around the foundation of the Roman Republic.
The tribe of the Sabines (Latin Sabini) was an Italic tribe of ancient Italy. Their language belonged to the Sabellic subgroup of Italic languages and was akin to Oscan and Umbrian. In response to threats by the Sabines, Rome creates the office of dictator in 501 BC and Darius I of Persia proclaims that Aramaic be the official language of the western half of his empire. The yeare signifies the end of the Nordic Bronze Age civilization in Oscar Montelius periodization system and begins the Pre-Roman Iron Age.
| 700-500 BC- The Cruithne or Priteni |
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| 500 BC- The Builg or Érainn | |
| 300 BC- The Lagin, Domnainn, Galioin | |
| 100 BC- The Goidels or Gaels |
90-60 BC The Armorican Morini inhabited the lands nearest to Britain; colonies in the island, especially in Kent. From the coast of Sussex to the Wash, around Kent, coins now known as Gallo-Belgic C, issued between c.90 and 60BC, have been tentatively identified with King Diviciacus of the Suessiones. The Ambiani were probably responsible for the coins known nowadays as Gallo-Belgic A, in circulation around the middle of the second century BC, which are found in the Somme valley in northern France, and in parts of southern Britain.
57 BC. Caesar began conquering the Belgae. He writes that the Belgae were conspiring and arming themselves in response to his earlier conquests, and in response to this threat he raised two new legions and ordered his Gallic allies the Aedui to invade the territory of the Bellovaci. He made camp on a low hill protected by a marsh at the front and the river Aisne behind, near Bibrax (between modern Laon and Reims) in the territory of the Remi.
56 BC The Veneti incurred the wrath of Caesar in 56 BC when they detained two of his tribunes, in order to exchange them for their own hostages thet they themselves had earlier surrendered to Caesar's legate Publius Crassus. In view of their extensive trade with the island, the Veneti and perhaps other Armorican states, also had a number of colonies on the south coast of Britain. The Veneti were not a true Belgic tribe, being strictly-speaking of Gallic extraction. Caesar combined the three parts of Gaul, the territory of the Belgae, Celtae and Aquitani, into a single unwieldy province Gallia Comata and was reorganized by Augustus Caesar into its traditional cultural divisions.
56 BC Originally from Gaul, the Atrebates (Bear People) of Belgica Province of their continental predecessors had in joined forces with their neighbours the Nervii to field 15,000 tribesmen in opposition to Julius Caesar.
Bordered to the north, south and west by the sea-faring nations the Menapii, the Ambiani and the Morini respectively, and on all other sides by other friendly Belgic states. Their tribal capital was Nemetacum [Atrebatum], now known as Arras, on the Scarpe River in the Artois region of northern France. The Atrebates of Southern Britain. Inhabiting a region now contained within the modern county of Berkshire, and including the northern parts of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Surrey. Their tribal capital was situated at Calleva Atrebatum, today known as Silchester in Hampshire. These people inhabited the country centered on the modern counties of Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
During the age of Caesar, Celtic sea power takes place on the coastline of Brittany in classical times. Caesar's naval battle with the Celts took place in the marshy estuary of the River Loire of the Namnetes, occupied by the Veneti rather than Quiberon Bay. The Veneti occupied the land of the La Vaux inscriptions. Upon the looming battle, the Venetti summoned allies from the tribes of Brittaniaa. These were the Celts whose combined resources placed a fleet of 220 ships off of the estuary Loire upon battle against the might of Rome in 55 B.C. The Celtic Vessels carried sails of leather hides, iron anchors and Roman sails carried Egyptian linen. Unlike the Gauls of the interior, several tribes that inhabited the coastal lands of northern France were sailors whose chieftans were united in a maritime alliance under the Venetti leader ship of Brittany- the Celts of Armorica with their neighbors-
- the Curiosolites of the Channel Coast
- the Venelli of the Channel Islands and the Cherbourg region
- the Namnetes of Nantes
- the Pictones of the south
- the Santones of the coastlands of the Bay of Biscay
- the Lexovii of Normandy
55 and 54 BC, During the expeditions, Commius was to take a central role as Caesar's embassador to the British tribes who opposed the Roman general. The Atrebates tribe of southern Britain were directly linked to the Atrebates of Belgic Gaul. Commius was later to turn against his former friend and led the Atrebates in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve Vercingatorix during the Siege of Alesia in 53.
51 BC, Now the enemy of Caesar, Commius fled the continent and made with his retinue to Britain, where his descendants were destined to rule part of the island until the coming of Rome in AD 43. From the time of Augustus the Belgae divided more than a colony from Belgica Prima and Belgica Secunda. In the Res Gestae of the emperor Augustus which mentions the names of two reges Britannorum, or 'Kings of the Britons'. Upon the southeast, coinage shows that there were two kings Tim in Cantium and Essex.
58 - 51 BC Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico divided the people of Gaul at the time of his conquests into three broad groups: the Aquitani, Galli (who in their own language were called Celtae) and Belgae, all of whom had their own customs and language. He noted that the Belgae, being furthest from the developed civilisation of Rome and closest to the Germans, were the bravest of the three. Caesar claims that most of the Belgae were descended from tribes who had long ago crossed the Rhine from Germania. However most of the tribal and personal names recorded are identifiably Celtic. It is also said that the Belgae were descendants of Trebata, the legendary founder of Trier, Germany, a province of Northern Europe or Belgica Secunda.
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