Author: * Miranda Catuvellauni - 1 Post on this thread out of 140 Posts sitewide.
Date: Sep 1, 2003 - 14:14

The Cantiaci

Tribe: Cantiaci, Cantii
Capital: DVROVERNVM CANTIACORVM
Location: Canterbury, Kent.
Extent: Cantium (Kent).
Notes: Caesar thought them the most civilized tribe in Britain, and recorded four kings each ruling a minor kingdom; Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus and Segovax. Strong Belgic influence.

Principal Tribal Sites
The Civitas Capital

DVROVERNVM CANTIACORVM (Canterbury, Kent) - Pre-Roman settlement, later cantonal capital served by a port three miles down the Stour at Fordwich. Amminus (Adminius) apparently minted coin with a Durovernon mint-mark; DVN.


Known Pre-Roman Settlements

DVROVERNVM (Canterbury, Kent) - Native settlement on the Stour in East Kent.

DVROBRIVAE (Rochester, Kent) - Pre-Roman native settlement on the Medway in West Kent. One of only two walled towns in Cantium, the other being Canterbury. The centre of a Roman administrative pagus. Loose, nr. Maidstone (Kent) - Pre-Roman native settlement on the upper Medway, south of the Len confluence.


Three poleis Ascribed to the Canti (sic) by Ptolemy

DVROVERNVM (Canterbury, Kent).

RVTVPIAE (Richborough, Kent) - The original claudian bridgehead, by the time of Ptolemy, the main port of entrance to Britain.

LONDINIVM AVGVSTA (London) - An error by Ptolemy! This busy port lay on the north bank of the Thames, clearly in the territories of the Catuvellauni.


Watling Street Itinerary Posting Stations

NOVIOMAGVS CANTIACORVM (Crayford, Greater London).

VAGNIACIS / VAGNIACAE? (Springhead, Kent).

DVROLITVM? (Ospringe,? Kent). Other Itinerary Coastal Stations

PORTVS DVBRIS (Dover, Kent) - Probably the Novus Portus included in the coastal list of Ptolemy.

PORTVS LEMANIS (Lympne, Kent)


Other Notable Romano-British Sites

Maidstone (Kent) - A Roman settlement of some kind is suspected.

Titsey (Kent) - Rural temple may mark the western border of the Canton.

Hastings (Sussex) - This iron port had overland connections with Kent rather than the Regnenses of Sussex.


Industries

Villa's were plentiful around Rochester but scarce around the cantonal capital at Canterbury. A number of pottery and tile kilns have been noted in the environs of Canterbury. Chief pottery industries lay in the area of the Upchurch Marshes. Iron was mined in the Hastings area.


Caesar's Cantium

Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars provides us with three references to ancient Kent. The first in a general description of Britain:

"... The natural shape of the island [Britain] is triangular, and one side lies opposite to Gaul. Of this side one angle, which is in Cantium (where almost all the ships from Gaul come in to land), faces the east, the lower angle faces south. ..." (Caesar De Bello Gallico v.13)

He goes on to speak of the people of Kent in glowing terms:

"Of all the Britons the inhabitants of Cantium, an entirely maritime district, are by far the most civilised, differing but little from the Gallic manner of life. ..." (Caesar De Bello Gallico v.14)

And provides us with further snippets on the political geography, mentioning four Kentish rulers:

"... Cassivellaunus¹ sent messages to Cantium, a country by the sea, as above set forth, over whose four districts Cingetorix, Carvilius, Taximagulus, and Segovax ruled as kings, and commanded them to collect all their forces for a sudden attempt and assault upon the naval camp². ..." (Caesar De Bello Gallico v.22)

The naval fortifications erected by Caesar (vide G.W. v.11) were located somewhere on the northern coast of Kent; the exact site will remain unknown as the area has been lost to the erosion of the sea.

The Kentish kings' assault on the Roman naval camp was not to succeed, and their failure forced Cassivellaunus to come to terms with Caesar, who took hostages, levied tribute, and sailed swiftly back to Gaul before the seasons turned.

It is of note that Caesar always speaks of the region, Cantium, and nowhere provides us with the actual name of the tribe inhabiting the area.


Kings of the Cantiaci
From Numismatic Evidence

Apart from the four kings mentioned by Caesar (vide supra), who were very likely responsible for a number of uninscribed coins attributed to this period, other Kentish kings have been identified from inscribed coinage recovered in the canton.

Dubnovellaunus Perhaps one of several kings of the Cantiaci in the latter half of the first century BC, but certainly the first to issue inscribed coins. The styling of some of these coins is essentially Celtic, suggesting a date perhaps around 40 or 30BC. of particular interest is his unique silver issue, which bears three horses heads and forelegs arranged in a six pointed star-like design on the obverse, with the letters DVBNOVELLAV around the edge of the flan. Other issues adopting Roman designs were produced later in the century, one depicting a metalsmith at work with DVBNO inscribed along the edge of the flan behind the central figure; once again reflecting increasing contact between the south-east of the country and Roman Gaul. Towards the end of his period of rule, before the coins of Eppillus appeared on the scene in the initial years of the first century AD, other nobles issued incribed coinage in Cantium, one a Vosenios, and another possibly with the name Sa[...], though this may represent a mint mark. He could feasibly have been the second suppliant British king mentioned in the Augustan record, but it is not likely (vide Dubnovellaunus of the Trinovantes).

Vosenios Minted coins inscribed by Vosenios were being issued towards the end of the first century BC, following or possibly contemporary with those of Dubnovellaunus, his probable predecessor. Other coins issued during this period inscribed only with a cryptic SA could either be those of another Kentish king or they too may be of Vosenios; if the inscription is inverted, it may be construed to read V[osenio]S, the horizontal bar from the letter 'A' usually being omitted when used in Celtic coinage inscriptions, appearing as an inverted 'V'. These letters need not refer to a personal name but could instead record a title, the site of a mint or the name of an unrecorded group of people. Coins of Vosenios departed the scene around AD15, and were succeeded by issues of Eppillus.

Eppillus Coins inscribed EPILL began to appear in Cantium around AD15, replacing those of Vosenios. These coins, although stylistically quite dissimilar, may reasonably be identified with those of Eppillus of the Atrebates, who was ousted from his throne at Calleva (Silchester in Hampshire) by his younger brother Verica at this time. The coins of Eppillus are spread over a considerable area in the north-western part of Cantium, centred seemingly around the oppiddum at Durobrivae (Rochester). The people of the region seem to have readily taken to the Atrebatean prince, which suggests that he had previously had contact with them, perhaps even dynastic connections; Eppillus may have married a Cantiaci princess whose family resided at Rochester. Eppillus was himself replaced by another non-Kentish king, Adminius of the Catuvellauni c.AD30. (vide Eppillus of the Atrebates) Cunobelin The coins of king Cunobelin of the Catuvellauni appeared throughout Cantium during the early part of the first century AD, indicating either increased trade between the two tribes, or, more likely, the annexation of Cantium (vide Cunobelin of the Catuvellauni).

Adminius Adminius was probably the eldest son of Cunobelin, who was given the administration of Cantium by his father c.AD30. Inscribed coinage has been found throughout the canton, bearing the name AMM INVS, and a mint mark DVN, probably indicating an administrative centre at Durovernon. (vide Adminius of the Catuvellauni)