Philosophy
If you recall a few days ago I referenced an item regarding the specific time of Homer's Odysseus and his return home...now scientists are trying to pinpoint Caesar's invasion of Britain.
The traditional view is that Caesar landed in Britain on 26-27 August, but researchers from Texas State University say this cannot be right.
Dr Donald Olson, an expert on tides, says that the English Channel was flowing the wrong way on this date.
They instead favour an invasion of the south coast at Deal on August 22-23.
The claims appear in the latest issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Caesar came to Britain with 100 warships and two legions comprising 10,000 men. But as he approached Dover's white cliffs, spear-wielding Celtic warriors lined up along the ridge, prompting the Roman leader to look for a better landing spot.
He ordered his fleet to move along the coast, and after travelling about seven miles they came to "an open and flat shore".
What has been a matter of some debate is whether Caesar sailed left or right and when exactly his armada landed.
Astronomical solution
Caesar mentioned strong tides, a full Moon and an ocean current. The astronomers Edmund Halley and George Airy previously used this information to try to solve the problem. But they disagreed with each other's conclusions.
Dr Olson identified August 2007 as a rare opportunity to investigate the question of when Caesar landed.
During this month, complex tidal factors involving the Moon and Sun would unfold in a near-perfect replay of those in August of 55 BC. So the researchers conducted an expedition to the south coast of England in order to investigate their idea.
On the day which corresponded closely to the traditional date for the invasion, Dr Olson carried out a basic experiment - dropping an apple into the sea off Deal pier at roughly the time of afternoon when Caesar described the fleet moving.
The apple floated south-west towards Dover, suggesting that the Roman fleet could not have travelled up to Deal from Dover on that day.
"The English Channel was flowing the wrong way," said Dr Olson.
Caesar's account led the researchers to focus on a possible invasion date a few days earlier.
On the day corresponding to the revised date of 22-23 August, the team chartered a sightseeing boat and took GPS readings to determine how the boat was drifting.
They found the boat was floating north-east towards Deal.
The Texas team's revised date gives Caesar the ocean current he needed to manoeuvre right, proceed seven miles, and land with a falling tide near present-day Deal.
This is the beach preferred by most historians but rejected by tide experts in the past. A modified reading of Caesar's reference to the "night of a full Moon" also leads to the August 22-23 date, Dr Olson claimed.
"The scientists were right about the tidal streams and so were the historians about the landing site," he explained.
Sky & Telescope:
New Date for Caesar's British Invasion
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Philosophy
Caesar invades England
If you recall a few days ago I referenced an item regarding the specific time of Homer's Odysseus and his return home...now scientists are trying to pinpoint Caesar's invasion of Britain."Doubt over date for Brit invasion"
Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers have claimed
July 1st, 2008
BBC
Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC could not have occurred on the dates stated in most history books, a team of astronomers have claimed
July 1st, 2008
BBC
The traditional view is that Caesar landed in Britain on 26-27 August, but researchers from Texas State University say this cannot be right.
Dr Donald Olson, an expert on tides, says that the English Channel was flowing the wrong way on this date.
They instead favour an invasion of the south coast at Deal on August 22-23.
The claims appear in the latest issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
Caesar came to Britain with 100 warships and two legions comprising 10,000 men. But as he approached Dover's white cliffs, spear-wielding Celtic warriors lined up along the ridge, prompting the Roman leader to look for a better landing spot.
He ordered his fleet to move along the coast, and after travelling about seven miles they came to "an open and flat shore".
What has been a matter of some debate is whether Caesar sailed left or right and when exactly his armada landed.
Astronomical solution
Caesar mentioned strong tides, a full Moon and an ocean current. The astronomers Edmund Halley and George Airy previously used this information to try to solve the problem. But they disagreed with each other's conclusions.
Dr Olson identified August 2007 as a rare opportunity to investigate the question of when Caesar landed.
During this month, complex tidal factors involving the Moon and Sun would unfold in a near-perfect replay of those in August of 55 BC. So the researchers conducted an expedition to the south coast of England in order to investigate their idea.
On the day which corresponded closely to the traditional date for the invasion, Dr Olson carried out a basic experiment - dropping an apple into the sea off Deal pier at roughly the time of afternoon when Caesar described the fleet moving.
The apple floated south-west towards Dover, suggesting that the Roman fleet could not have travelled up to Deal from Dover on that day.
"The English Channel was flowing the wrong way," said Dr Olson.
Caesar's account led the researchers to focus on a possible invasion date a few days earlier.
On the day corresponding to the revised date of 22-23 August, the team chartered a sightseeing boat and took GPS readings to determine how the boat was drifting.
They found the boat was floating north-east towards Deal.
The Texas team's revised date gives Caesar the ocean current he needed to manoeuvre right, proceed seven miles, and land with a falling tide near present-day Deal.
This is the beach preferred by most historians but rejected by tide experts in the past. A modified reading of Caesar's reference to the "night of a full Moon" also leads to the August 22-23 date, Dr Olson claimed.
"The scientists were right about the tidal streams and so were the historians about the landing site," he explained.
Sky & Telescope:
New Date for Caesar's British Invasion
- Rip Larry Gelbart
My Fellow Comedists, We lost a good one this week. Larry Gelbart died. Amember of Sid Caesar's legendary writing team, he went on to give us A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Tootsie, and most memorably, he was the creative mind behind...
- Feat Of Saint Sid
My Fellow Comedists, This week brings us the feast of Saint Sid. Sid Caesar turns 88. His Your Show of Shows took comedy from Vaudeville into the suburban world of grey suited middle managers of the 1950s. He could do the slapstick, he could do the highbrow...
- Remembering Jon
A friend just passed suddenly. You know that feeling you get when you go to a ballgame and you come through the tunnel out to the stands and you can feel the electricity run through you and know its going to be loud and rowdy and fun. It was the same...
- Astronomy...art
"Astronomy solves puzzles posed by artists such as Hamlet and Van Gogh" by Jonathan Leake and Maurice Chittenden Februray 14th, 2010 TIMESONLINE A team of art sleuths has turned to astronomy and mathematical formulas to crack a string of historical...
- Astronomy--forensics
Ansel Adams' "Autumn Moon" "Forensic Astronomer Solves Fine Art's Puzzles" Astrophysicist Don Olson breaks down the barriers between science and art by analyzing literature and paintings from the past. by Jennifer Drapkin and Sarah Zielinski...