Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[dashydog]

en Dark even suggested that the western elites, from the 'less romanised' parts of Britain, adopted a romano-christian culture in the 5th century. There is indeed more proofs of latin culture in 5th century Cornwall, Devon and most of Wales (apart from a few towns, forts and what was the land of the Silures) than in the previous romano-british period. We have proofs of latin litteracy (class-1 stone inscriptions), adoption of christianity (long-cist burials...) and roman tastes (trade for Mediterranean wine,

That makes a lot of sense. I believe that the old Punic trade routes (Lusitania direct to Brittany, maybe Cornwall) were never lost and that after Cathage, the Punics merely set up shop as Roman shipowners instead..and keeping their trade in kassiterite and garum on the go as they always had. THen there is option 2 on Pytheas's voyage..another well worn route Garonne to Brest etc. If you read Oppenheimer, he works on this premise to suport his Basque haplotype theories etc etc. In those days, land travel was for the destitute, the vedry rich or the dsesperate. Others went by sea. So, this west coast route was very very old and very well established. Igitur: Roman culture almost certainly arrived in Blighty by that route and did so before it came through Claudius and co.
But, the North Sea coasts were probably different. Oppenheimer makes it clear that he thinks they were Saxonised etc long before Rome. I have my own reasons for believing the same.

Then one has the Saxon Shore forts. Defence may have been their original purpose but to me they look like Bacaroons...for holding British slaves. It was a good business then. They wqould have been operated, probably, by Saxons who had the ships, the weapons and the trade routes. No doubt, the local Romano Bryths were quietly funding them in a JV..whilst also using them as a method of shipping out all their unwanted oiks and troublemakers as slaves!