Units of History - War Chariots of Britannia DOCUMENTARY

Learn about the fierce War Chariots of Britannia! The first 100 people to download Endel by clicking the link below will get a free week of audio experiences! https://app.adjust.com/b8wxub6?campai...

In this Units of History Documentary we turn to the isles of Britannia and their War Chariots. To the Romans, these represented an exotic and ancient way of fighting which dated back to the Bronze Age and stories of the Trojan War. In this video we seek to shed light on their history.

The documentary begins with a discussion of the origins of the War Chariots of Brittania. This had its roots in the spread of chariots across the celtic world. Yet while this trend would die out in the mainland around the 3rd century BC, it would live on in the relative isolation of the British Isles. Thus it was that when Julius Caesar first launched an expedition onto the island he would be surprised to find hundreds of these war chariots bearing down upon him.

Based on the records of he and other historians, we are able to present a reconstruction of the equipment, training, and tactics of these war chariots. Even though the Romans saw them as relics of the past, they nonetheless feared and admired them for their ability to mix the mobility of cavalry with the staying power of infantry.

We then go on to cover the service history of these War Chariots of Britannia. This would begin with Julius Caesars invasion of Britain where they fought in both pitched and guerilla style battles. The largest of these encounters was the the Battle of the River Medway which lasted two days. Next the war chariots would be encountered during Claudius invasion of Britain and in the ensuing Boudicca's Rebellion. They helped run down the ninth legion and likely featured in the Battle of Watling street. The last major instance of war chariots taking the field would be in the Roman Invasion of Scotland where they were deployed en-masse at the Battle of Mons Graupius.

What Units of History should we cover next? You can learn more about the forces of other civilizations here :

THE AFRICANS
Nubian Archers :    • Units of History - Nubian Archers - L...  
The Carthaginian Navy :    • Units of History - Warships of the Ca...  
The Sacred Band of Carthage :    • Units of History - The Sacred Band of...  
Carthaginian War Elephants :    • Units of History - Carthaginian War E...  
The Numidian Cavalry :    • Units of History - The Numidian Caval...  

THE NEAR EAST
The 10,000 Immortals :    • Units of History - The 10,000 Immorta...  
Sassanid Horse Archers:    • Units of History - Sassanid Horse Arc...  

THE BYZANTINES
Byzantine Flamethrowers and Grenadiers :    • Units of History - Byzantine Flamethr...  
The Varangian Guard :    • Units of History - The Varangian Guar...  

THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
Macedonian Silver Shields :    • Units of History - The Macedonian Sil...  
Macedonian Companion Cavalry :    • Units of History - The Macedonian Com...  
The Spartan Skiritai :    • Units of History: The Skiritai - Spar...  
The Spartan Royal Guard :    • Units of History - The Spartan Royal ...  
The Sacred Band of Thebes :    • Units of History - The Sacred Band of...  
Mycenaean Chariots :    • Units of History - Mycenaean Chariots...  
Balearic Slingers :    • Units of History - The Balearic Sling...  

THE ROMANS
Roman Cataphracts :    • Units of History - Roman Cataphracts ...  
Roman Army Spies :    • Units of History - The Speculatores: ...  
Roman Army Scouts :    • Units of History - The Exploratores: ...  

THE NORTHMEN
The Jomsvikings Mercenaries :    • Units of History - The Jomsvikings Me...  
Viking Berserkers :    • Units of History - Viking Berserker D...  
Early Germanic Warriors :    • Units of History - Early Germanic War...  

THE EASTERN EUROPEANS
The Druzhina :    • Units of History: The Druzhina - Knig...  

Credits:
Research = Eric TenWolde
Script = Eric TenWolde
Narration = Guy Michaels
Art = Penta Limited

Sources and Suggested Reading:
Wilcox, Peter, “Men-at-Arms 158: Rome’s Enemies (2) Gallic and British Celts”, Osprey Publishing, 1985
Cunliffe, Barry, “The Ancient Celts: Second Edition”, Oxford University Press, 2018
Edit. Penrose, Jane, “Rome And Her Enemies”, Osprey Publishing, 2005
Fields, Nic, “Campaign 353: Britannia AD 43”, Osprey Publishing, 2020
Fields, Nic, “Campaign 233: Boudicca’s Rebellion AD 60-61”, Osprey Publishing 2011
Campbell, Duncan B., “Campaign 224: Mons Graupius AD 83”, Osprey Publishing, 2010

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#documentary
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