0:00:05 > 0:00:09NEIL OLIVER: In early 2015, an ancient burial site was unearthed
0:00:09 > 0:00:13in Gloucestershire that dated back to the Roman occupation of Britain.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Nearly 150 bodies, both male and female, were discovered.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29But what caused excitement was a name carved on a gravestone...
0:00:32 > 0:00:33..Bodicacia.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Could this be the first reference found in archaeology
0:00:39 > 0:00:42of our great British heroine, Boudicca?
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Queen of the Iceni...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48a Briton...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50and a Celt.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- ALICE ROBERTS:- In Britain, we're never far from our Celtic past.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06The Celts seem to belong to a shadowy, wilder, more primal time
0:01:06 > 0:01:09than anything in more recent history.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16But much about their origins, beliefs and ultimate fate
0:01:16 > 0:01:17remains a mystery.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25But a story etched in vivid colour
0:01:25 > 0:01:30is how these powerful tribal people battled for survival
0:01:30 > 0:01:35against their arch-enemy, the Roman Empire.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37From the first Celtic raiding parties
0:01:37 > 0:01:40that rampaged through ancient Italy
0:01:40 > 0:01:43to Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul
0:01:43 > 0:01:48and the Celts' last stand under Britain's warrior queen Boudicca.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51One of the greatest cultural conflicts
0:01:51 > 0:01:54that still defines our world today
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and reveals Europe's most enigmatic ancient people.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27After centuries of conflict in Europe, the Celts were being crushed
0:02:27 > 0:02:30under the modern might of the Roman Empire.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35SHOUTING, SWORDS CLASH
0:02:36 > 0:02:42In 52 BC, Caesar and his legions finally defeated Vercingetorix -
0:02:42 > 0:02:44leader of the rebellion in Gaul.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Classical Rome was now at its peak,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55shaping the world around its own image of civilisation
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and laying down a Roman legacy.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09But one place that Rome had not conquered was Britain.
0:03:09 > 0:03:16And, in 43 AD, they launched a full-scale military invasion
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and much of the south and east of the island
0:03:18 > 0:03:20became a province of Rome.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28Just 17 years later, in 60 AD,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33the Britons rose up against their imperial rulers
0:03:33 > 0:03:36in a wave of terror.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39This is a story of the last stand of the Celts.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's a tale of righteous rebellion.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51But most of all, it's the story of a formidable warrior queen -
0:03:51 > 0:03:55the first great British hero -
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Boudicca.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09In 54 BC, Caesar had staged a short-lived invasion of Britain
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and seized lands in the South East.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16He found a culture of extraordinary riches
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and sophisticated technological skills.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25And some of the most amazing artefacts from that period
0:04:25 > 0:04:28can be found in the collections of the British Museum.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41This wonderful treasure is just part of the Snettisham Hoard,
0:04:41 > 0:04:46which was discovered in a ploughed field in Norfolk in the late 1940s.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50And Norfolk was part of the territory of the Iceni tribe,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54which were led later by Queen Boudicca.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01These are torcs - ornate golden neck rings.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04One of the marks of elite Celtic leaders and warriors
0:05:04 > 0:05:06found throughout Europe.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12They are a sign of a shared artistic style and culture.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19This is the great Torc of Snettisham and it really is beautiful.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's an amazing amount of gold to look at,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28but also the craftsmanship that's gone into it is mind-blowing.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The neck ring itself is made out of eight ropes of gold,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34each of those ropes of gold is
0:05:34 > 0:05:38made of eight golden wires twisted together.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43But it's the ends of it, these terminals, that really blow me away.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They are exquisite pieces of craftsmanship.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Whoever owned this torc, whoever commissioned it,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54must have been somebody incredibly rich and powerful.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57This was surely worn by Celtic royalty.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Producing work as complex and as detailed as this
0:06:03 > 0:06:06would be a formidable challenge,
0:06:06 > 0:06:07even for a modern goldsmith.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Nigel Meeks, one of the museum's metallurgists, has been using
0:06:16 > 0:06:20an electron microscope to reveal the Iceni craftsmen's secrets.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23Oh, here we go.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32That's just extraordinary, it's amazing detail.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33I thought this was fascinating,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36because I wondered how this had been made.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Cos I looked at that and thought it was stamped,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40but it doesn't look like that here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43It's not. It's very, very subtle.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45If you look at the individual components here -
0:06:45 > 0:06:48for example, these two here, and those there -
0:06:48 > 0:06:51well, we can zoom in a little bit more.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53You can see little grooves of some sort.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55You chase the metal with a little hammer - tap, tap -
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and that would give you the little ridges you see.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Every time it moves a little bit, it makes a little groove there.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03I'm amazed at that, because this is absolutely minute.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- When you think that this is 3mm across here...- Yes.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11..each one of these little gouges is, what, half a millimetre?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- Less than half a millimetre. - Yes, that's right.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- And you know that each of those ridges is somebody...- Yes.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- ..hammering that tiny little chisel. - Yes, absolutely.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22This is the magic of metalwork.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29The great torc reveals Celtic craftsmanship at its peak,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32but an even more surprising result comes from studying
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the broken fragments of torcs also discovered in the hoard.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44These exposed ends reveal that this torc is actually gold plated.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49So it looks as though the darker areas are bronze -
0:07:49 > 0:07:51the main metal this torc is made of -
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- and then there's something light on the surface.- Right.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- So can we analyse that, then? - We can do that now.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02- So if you'd like to scan an image on this computer, right.- Up it pops!
0:08:02 > 0:08:06So we're getting peaks here, which correspond to different metals.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11- And the really big peak is gold and mercury.- And mercury, you see?
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The only way mercury and gold would be found together is
0:08:16 > 0:08:18if they'd been deliberately mixed.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It's now believed this is an example
0:08:22 > 0:08:25of a technique called mercury gilding.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Gold dissolves into liquid mercury, creating a paste
0:08:30 > 0:08:33that can be spread over the surface of the bronze.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38By applying heat, the mercury boils off,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41leaving a thin veneer of gold coating the object.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50But mercury ore is not found in Britain,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and it's believed to have come all the way from Spain.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57As well as being extremely sophisticated craftsmen,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00the Iceni, and many tribes like them,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04had long enjoyed ancient trading links stretching along
0:09:04 > 0:09:08the Atlantic coastlines of Europe and into the Mediterranean world.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14So, when Rome invaded in 43 AD,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17despite being challenged in the North and West
0:09:17 > 0:09:22by the Brigantes, Ordivici and Siluri tribes,
0:09:22 > 0:09:23in the South and East,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29tribes like the Iceni and Trinovantes put up little defence.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Their leaders had long enjoyed luxuries of the Mediterranean world.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39This is Colchester in Essex.
0:09:41 > 0:09:442,000 years ago, it was a Celtic stronghold -
0:09:44 > 0:09:47the capital of the Trinovantes tribe -
0:09:47 > 0:09:50who actually welcomed the Romans when they arrived.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56In 43 AD, the Romans invaded and they marched through the South East
0:09:56 > 0:10:00and then, just a few weeks after that initial invasion,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04the Roman Emperor himself - Claudius - rode into Colchester
0:10:04 > 0:10:06to receive the surrender of the local tribes,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09on the back of an elephant, if you believe the folklore.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11From now on, the Romans were in charge.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14And they made this place their capital.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18They called it Camulodunum - after Camulos, the God of War.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27The Romans would turn Camulodunum into a showcase of imperial power.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Roman theatres and baths were built and, where the castle stands today,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36there was a huge temple dedicated to the Emperor Claudius.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43It was an advert for the exotic Mediterranean way of life
0:10:43 > 0:10:45that would be on offer to local tribes,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48if they submitted to Roman rule.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It showed the locals that, as long as they complied
0:10:51 > 0:10:54with the Roman way of life, they would be allowed to prosper.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58They would enjoy the privileges and luxuries of Roman citizens
0:10:58 > 0:11:01as long as they submitted to certain economic demands from Rome -
0:11:01 > 0:11:04taxes, duties, customs.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And, crucially, the Celtic tribal leaders
0:11:07 > 0:11:09would become clients of Rome.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12They would retain some control over their kingdoms as long as
0:11:12 > 0:11:16they agreed to cede their territory to Rome when they died.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It was this sly land grab
0:11:21 > 0:11:25that would trigger a sudden and unexpected uprising.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30It's the story of Boudicca, a powerful woman
0:11:30 > 0:11:36in a world dominated by emperors, kings and sword-wielding men.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Victory for Boudicca could have changed British history forever,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52leading to a very different heritage of the land we inhabit today.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00The red-headed, chariot-riding Celtic Queen - our image of Boudicca
0:12:00 > 0:12:03is an indelible part of our cultural history.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08But the story of Boudicca has grown much bigger
0:12:08 > 0:12:11than the brief references to her in Roman histories.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Everything we know about Boudicca and her Celtic rebellion
0:12:19 > 0:12:22comes from just a few pages of Roman writing.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24This is the Annals of Tacitus,
0:12:24 > 0:12:29which was written in the early part of the 2nd century AD.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31And when Tacitus was writing,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34this was about 50 years after the Celtic Rebellion.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39He was writing about events that happened within his own lifetime
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and the passages take us right to the heart of one
0:12:41 > 0:12:46of the most dramatic showdowns in British and Roman history.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Boudicca herself strides on to the scene
0:12:51 > 0:12:56following the death of her husband, the king of the Iceni, Prasutagus.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Deep within Tacitus's Annals, we read that,
0:13:02 > 0:13:07"The King of the Iceni, Prasutagus, a man renowned for long opulence,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10"had made Nero his heir with his two daughters."
0:13:14 > 0:13:18According to Tacitus, Prasutagus was hedging his bets.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22He had acknowledged his obligation to Rome
0:13:22 > 0:13:25by leaving half his kingdom to the Emperor Nero.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28But he was also keeping the rest of his lands
0:13:28 > 0:13:31within the family that he bore with his wife, Queen Boudicca.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36He was protecting the future of the Iceni.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41But that's not how the Romans saw it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42As far as they were concerned,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46their deal with Prasutagus as a client king of Rome
0:13:46 > 0:13:48ended with his death.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51His kingdom would not be inherited by his family.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56But they hadn't reckoned on the power, influence
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and vengefulness of a Celtic Queen.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The story of Boudicca is a compelling one,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and its partly because we just haven't heard about Celtic women
0:14:19 > 0:14:21from the Roman historians before.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26It's all been about the men, the warriors, fighting and drinking.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28And then suddenly onto the stage
0:14:28 > 0:14:32strides this incredible woman with flame red hair
0:14:32 > 0:14:36prepared to take on the might of the Roman Empire.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Not just a Queen - but a true leader.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Archaeological discoveries have revealed that powerful women
0:14:44 > 0:14:47have always played a part in Celtic society.
0:14:50 > 0:14:56The evidence for that can be found over 600 miles south of Iceni lands,
0:14:56 > 0:14:57near Stuttgart in Germany.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05In 2005, archaeologists here started excavating the remains
0:15:05 > 0:15:07of an Iron Age burial chamber.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12To protect it from looters, the entire chamber
0:15:12 > 0:15:16was later removed from the ground in a single 80-tonne block,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and driven to a specially-built laboratory,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20where it could be excavated securely.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Within the mud, they discovered the remains of the grave's occupant.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Someone who lived 2,600 years ago.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39- Hello, Nicole.- Hello Alice.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Dr Nicole Ebinger-Rist is the project director.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48I can immediately spot some human remains anyway.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- So there's teeth and a skull there.- Yeah.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The teeth are better preserved than the bone, which is quite normal.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Although, even here, we can see that they've been worn down during life.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- That's right.- And you can see that the incisors there
0:16:02 > 0:16:05have been worn at the tips and we've got the dentine exposed
0:16:05 > 0:16:08in a line there and exposed on the surface of the molars,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10so I would say that this is a young woman.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Does that fit with your assessment so far?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Yes, because we know she's around 30 years old so, so yeah.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- And we've got some bones of the arm just here.- Yeah, it's the right arm.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Pretty badly preserved, actually, isn't it?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The woman became known as the Bettelbuhl Princess.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Because, within the mud,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Nicole and the team found more than just human remains.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40She was taken to her grave
0:16:40 > 0:16:43with an extraordinary collection of Celtic jewellery.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- And it's gold 2,600 years old. - ALICE GASPS
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Look at that! Beautiful! So she had a pair of these...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Yeah. Here is the second one. - ..beautiful brooches, these fibulae?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Laying on her shoulders, one on the right side,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and the other one on the left side.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Now these are my favourites.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Beads.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Gosh, it's incredibly fine work, isn't it?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Amazing to think they're doing this with no lenses either.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- They haven't got magnifying glasses or anything.- That's the point.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Presumably, this means she was an incredibly important person.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24- Absolutely. - An extremely high status woman.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30650 years before Boudicca,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33this burial reveals not a Celtic warrior,
0:17:33 > 0:17:34but a woman of power.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43We just tend to think of Celtic chieftains or, you know, kings.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And here we're seeing there were very important Celtic women.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- Queens or princesses.- Yeah, yeah. - Whatever you want to call them.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59According to Tacitus, Rome was dismissive of the will
0:17:59 > 0:18:03of the dead king Prasutagus and the respect due a grieving Queen.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08They ordered their soldiers
0:18:08 > 0:18:11to take immediate control of the entire Iceni kingdom.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25IT THUDS ON THE FLOOR
0:18:28 > 0:18:30When Boudicca objected,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33the Romans were quick to show THEY were in charge.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39SHOUTING
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Boudicca was publicly flogged.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08And her daughters were raped.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14A dispute over inheritance
0:19:14 > 0:19:19had developed into a demonstration of imperial power,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22through an act of brutal humiliation.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Boudicca became determined to extract revenge -
0:19:32 > 0:19:38for her family, her tribe and the entire Celtic world.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43For years, she'd enjoyed the trappings of a Roman lifestyle.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47But she was a Briton...
0:19:49 > 0:19:50..a Queen...
0:19:50 > 0:19:51and a Celt.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02To restore Iceni pride and reclaim its ancestral lands,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06a Celtic rebel army would have to take on
0:20:06 > 0:20:09the most powerful military force on the planet.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Our history rested on a knife-edge, as Britain faced the possibility
0:20:18 > 0:20:21of a very different, very Celtic future.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Beneath a veneer of Romanisation,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44the beating heart of England remained Celtic.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49And the unique military skills and technology of the Britons
0:20:49 > 0:20:52were even the envy of Rome's greatest general.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58When Julius Caesar arrived on these shores in 55 BC,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02he was confronted with a type of fighting that he hadn't encountered
0:21:02 > 0:21:04in any of his battles on the Continent.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08The British had devised a new form of mobile warfare.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27What an amazing sight. This is wonderful.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I'd like to think that, just over 2,000 years ago,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32there were Iron Age people doing the same thing,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34practising with their chariots on this beach.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41According to Caesar, the Britons had thousands of two wheeled-chariots,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45each equipped with a driver and a heavily-armed warrior.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52The speed and versatility of these machines was enough
0:21:52 > 0:21:55to send fear and panic through the ranks of their enemy.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00This replica has been faithfully built for us,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03based on images of war chariots
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and using materials we know could've been used at the time.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Riding in it is Mike Loades, an expert on ancient warfare.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Caesar tells us that the first thing that happened is the warriors
0:22:17 > 0:22:21would bring their chariots across the Roman front line
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and hurl their javelins at them.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26And you see, if we were galloping along,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29I'd really need to brace myself, because I'm hands free.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31These look like a random shape.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36But my knee fits in here and, on the opposite side of the chariot,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38my foot is against that strut,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42so I'm really wedged in here in quite a stable way.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44This is the great thing about experimental archaeology
0:22:44 > 0:22:47is that, as soon as you put it together and you jump on it...
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- It informs you of how it was used. - ..and use it.- Absolutely.- Yeah.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53So was this the main function of the chariot? They're throwing spears
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- from the chariot - that's their base?- That's their first stage.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00That is their gesture, that's their war dance.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Then what happens is the chariots come back,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and then they take the warrior in
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- and the warrior dismounts for hand-to-hand fighting...- Yeah.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12..and that is draining.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15You can't do that for more than a few minutes.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Then the charioteers would come in
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and you'd hop in like a number 37 bus and away you go
0:23:21 > 0:23:24to get a breather and somebody else comes in and takes over the work.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28It shows us that the Celts really understood troop rotation.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33It shows us how sophisticated they were as a military organisation.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I really want a go. Can I have a go?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- THEY LAUGH - You can. You can.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41I think you'd better put that on.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Oh, you can't help but think of Boudicca
0:23:59 > 0:24:02when you're on a chariot like this. It's fantastic!
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Riding into battle against the Romans!
0:24:07 > 0:24:12The creak of the harness, the ringing of the bronze.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15This was the sound of the Celts going to war.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22CHEERING
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Caesar's account of his early invasion into Britannia
0:24:34 > 0:24:36makes specific note of the use of chariots.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42But the Britons were also famed for another deadly battle tool.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Celtic long swords and their scabbards,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49patterned with intricate symbolic designs,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52were the prized possessions of elite warriors.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59And in the hands of an expert, this is a fearsome weapon.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Andy Deane from the Royal Armouries has been practising for decades.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22That does look like a great deal of hard work.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26It is, yeah. It takes a lot of practice and it strains on the arm
0:25:26 > 0:25:29a little bit with all the weight in the blade there.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- It's always trying to escape your grip.- Is it heavy anyway?- Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Have a hold. I mean, three, three and a bit pounds,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36but a lot of that weight is at this end.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- There's no counterbalance with these early swords.- Right.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42So that's why it's wonderful to have these small grips.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I think we've both got Celtic marvellous small hands...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- NEIL LAUGHS - ..and so it sits in there nicely.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51In practised hands, then, what kind of damage does this do?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- I mean...- And I will hand it to you! LAUGHTER
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Well, I mean, this is a good facsimile -
0:25:56 > 0:25:59a pig carcass is very similar to an adult human being.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Now, this sword may well be able to slice through the whole carcass,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06if you start with the spine and come through.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07But you've still got that thrust
0:26:07 > 0:26:11that would come through and out the other side fairly, fairly easily.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- And that's all she wrote.- I mean, that wasn't any effort at all.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17And, of course if, with the cut, I come down at an angle,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22the sword drawing through as it leaves. So it's not like a....
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- It's not an axe chopping. - No, not at all.- It's slicing.- Yeah.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27You don't use it like a rounder's bat.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30You use it in a sort of drawing motion.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Goodnight, Vienna.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46The end.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- Wow.- It is horrific.- That is awful. Minus the blood as well!
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- You've got to keep telling yourself that's minus the blood.- Yeah, yeah!
0:26:52 > 0:26:56You think of the impact on friends and colleagues of someone who's been
0:26:56 > 0:27:00- wounded in that way and would be... - And agonising as well.- Yeah.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04- And you've known him all your life and he's just been cut down.- Yes.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08So yeah, the psychological effect of a sword slice through meat
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- and bone like that, as well as the physical pain and upset.- Yeah.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- For the one man you knock down, you terrify ten either side.- Yeah.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23We learn from Tacitus that in 60 AD
0:27:23 > 0:27:28the Iceni uprising was quickly gaining momentum.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Mustering 100,000 warriors,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Boudicca headed south to Camulodunum,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38the peaceful and prosperous capital of Roman Britain.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41A potent symbol of enemy occupation.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48The rebel numbers were swelled by members of the Trinovantes tribe,
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Rome's old allies, who were inspired by the resistance movement
0:27:53 > 0:27:56to retake their Celtic city.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Boudicca waited until nightfall before attacking.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09THUNDER RUMBLES, RAIN PATTERS
0:28:14 > 0:28:15Showing no mercy,
0:28:15 > 0:28:19the Celts slaughtered the Roman inhabitants and laid it to waste.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Now, 2,000 years later,
0:28:56 > 0:29:01archaeology is revealing the true extent of that attack,
0:29:01 > 0:29:06and the widespread destruction as Camulodunum was razed to the ground.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12One set of recent finds is being conserved by Emma Hogarth.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17What exactly are we dealing with here?
0:29:17 > 0:29:21What we've got here is an assemblage of jewellery and coins.
0:29:21 > 0:29:27First of all, and most obviously, we have a pair of matching armlets.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- Fantastic. - Stylistically, they are Roman.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36We're very lucky to actually have this small surviving earring.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38One of a pair with pearls on.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41You say jewellery. Is it all for a woman?
0:29:41 > 0:29:44No. We have gold jewellery and then there is the silver jewellery.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47And the silver jewellery, which consists of two matching armlets
0:29:47 > 0:29:50and this larger armlet and medallion,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53are the sort associated with the Roman military.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57This one has got a sort of hunt scene of panthers and a chase.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00And then with a central medallion, showing Roman gods.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05The panther motif on it sort of suggests an award for valour.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07So are we talking about a soldier, or a fighting man?
0:30:07 > 0:30:10At the time of the Boudiccan revolt,
0:30:10 > 0:30:15Colchester had become a town where Roman legionaries retired to,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19so the population was Roman legionaries and their wives
0:30:19 > 0:30:22who were hopefully wanting to enjoy a slightly quieter retirement
0:30:22 > 0:30:24after their military service.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27So it's veterans rather than active fighting men?
0:30:27 > 0:30:29That's what we assume, yes.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32So potentially this is a legionary and his wife.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37This jewellery takes us back to a frightening reality.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43It's a unique window into what happened in one house
0:30:43 > 0:30:47to one Roman family almost 2,000 years ago.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53It seems that the jewellery had been hidden
0:30:53 > 0:30:55in a hastily dug hole in the kitchen.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01From charred pottery and carbonised figs and dates,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03we also know that the kitchen was set ablaze.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10What we're witnessing is a moment of sheer terror.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14It's such a vivid image.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17That idea of a couple, or a family,
0:31:17 > 0:31:20trying to find somewhere to hide valuables,
0:31:20 > 0:31:24perhaps while their home was already on fire around them.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Yes, and it was done obviously in the expectation that
0:31:27 > 0:31:29they would be able to retrieve them later.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32But unfortunately we know clearly they didn't.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52This assemblage of material, the hidden jewellery and coins,
0:31:52 > 0:31:59it tells such a vivid human story of a traumatic and violent event.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02It's physical evidence,
0:32:02 > 0:32:07real forensic evidence of Boudicca's attack on Camulodunum.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11And as well as bringing history to life,
0:32:11 > 0:32:17it also verifies the account of the attack that was recorded by Tacitus.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35The reason Boudicca had faced so little resistance in Colchester
0:32:35 > 0:32:40was because the bulk of the Roman army was busy extending its empire
0:32:40 > 0:32:44in the remote and hostile lands of the north and west Britannia.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56According to Tacitus,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00the Roman Governor of Britain Gaius Suetonius Paulinus
0:33:00 > 0:33:04had led his own legions on a special mission to
0:33:04 > 0:33:07the remote island of Mona - modern day Anglesey.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15He was there to destroy the stronghold of the priests
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and power brokers of Celtic society - the Druids.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28The Romans saw the Druids as a dangerous element in Celtic society.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34They were extremely powerful priests,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38the keepers of sacred knowledge, wisdom and history,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and they were king makers.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50The Druids were the spiritual glue that bound Celtic tribes together
0:33:50 > 0:33:52in shared belief.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06The Druids are perhaps the single most evocative
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and mysterious element of Celtic society.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14Everybody has heard of them, but they remain remarkably elusive.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19The fact is, we know next to nothing about Celtic religion or belief.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23But if you know where to look, there are tantalising glimpses to be had
0:34:23 > 0:34:27of how the Celts understood the cosmos and their place within it.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35One thing we know was important was the annual cycle of Celtic feasts.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38This one is a modern version,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41a revival of the ancient May Day custom.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The Festival of Fire is held in Edinburgh every year,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46starting on the last day of April.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49This is Beltane.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51It's a Celtic word.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54I've always understood it to mean something like "bright fire".
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Something like this has been happening at this time of year
0:34:57 > 0:35:00for a very, very long time.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02There are mentions of it in the Irish records
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and chronicles, about 10th century, but the chances are
0:35:06 > 0:35:09people were coming together to do something like this hundreds,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12if not thousands of years before that.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21In this dance of the passage of the seasons,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24the May Queen, representing summer,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27confronts and defeats the Green Man of winter,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31using the power of fire to reinvigorate the year.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Beltane was just one of a number of festivals
0:35:43 > 0:35:45spread throughout the year.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50In order to plan these the Celts needed an intimate knowledge of
0:35:50 > 0:35:53the seasons and astronomy.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Thanks to a unique discovery made in France a century ago,
0:36:04 > 0:36:08we now know far more about how the Celts understood
0:36:08 > 0:36:10and marked the passing of the year.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19These are fragments of a tablet that some experts believe
0:36:19 > 0:36:23was created in Roman Gaul in the 2nd century AD,
0:36:23 > 0:36:28to record ancient Druidic traditions banned by Rome.
0:36:28 > 0:36:34And this is a reproduction, a photograph, of all that remains.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37The original was 1.5 metres across and a metre high.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40It was carved into a single panel of bronze,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43but all that survives are these fragments.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48It's a calendar, but it's not just any calendar.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Each of the large words is the name of a lunar month
0:36:53 > 0:36:56in the Gaulish language, but spelt out in Latin letters.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03It represents a cycle of five years, broken into 16 columns.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08What we're seeing is the way in which the Celts
0:37:08 > 0:37:11made sense of their year and punctuated it with feasts,
0:37:11 > 0:37:16because close by the names of the months is the little word - ivos,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18which means feast.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21We think that this calendar starts its year around here
0:37:21 > 0:37:23where you see the word - Mid Sam.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26It's probably around the month of November.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Soon after you've got ivos,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31which means the feast at the end of summer.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33It's called Samhain in the Celtic world,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36we still celebrate it today, but we call it Halloween.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41Halloween has become a modern Day of the Dead festival,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45and the association with the macabre may go back deep into prehistory.
0:37:47 > 0:37:532,000 years ago, the Romans wrote about Celtic death rituals,
0:37:53 > 0:37:58including headhunting and human sacrifices performed by the Druids.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08One place where evidence for such gruesome practices has emerged
0:38:08 > 0:38:14is a Celtic land that Rome never subdued - Hibernia, Ireland.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Wetlands like these were once sacred.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23And it's here that we still find
0:38:23 > 0:38:27the remains of ancient Iron Age beliefs and human sacrifice.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38It's quite astonishing to look at his face.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41This is the face of an Irish Celt.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43This is the face of somebody from the Iron Age.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55It seems that he was hit in the face with a blunt instrument,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59an injury which could have knocked him out, could even have killed him,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03but there are more injuries to the back of his head,
0:39:03 > 0:39:07injuries that look as though they've been created by an axe.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Iron Age bodies discovered in the bogs reveal ritualistic activity.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19Not wanton violence, but something calculated and symbolic.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Holes cut in arms, containing twigs of hazel.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Nipples that have been almost completely sliced off.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35And there are clues which suggest that these victims
0:39:35 > 0:39:37weren't ordinary Celts...
0:39:37 > 0:39:39they were special.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44We can tell that he was probably somebody of high social standing,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and the reason that the archaeologists believe this
0:39:47 > 0:39:49is that when we look at his hands,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53they are very smooth, there's no callous or roughness here.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56He didn't use his hands to make a living.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59His fingernails are beautifully trimmed.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10Archaeologist Ned Kelly has been studying bog bodies for 12 years,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13seeking out clues to Celtic ritual and beliefs.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19So this is the remains of Cashel Man?
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Cashel Man form County Laois.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25We think it's in fact the earliest fleshed bog body
0:40:25 > 0:40:27from anywhere in Europe.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Why are they not just the bodies of murder victims
0:40:30 > 0:40:33who have been disposed of in the bog?
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Well, first of all, in ancient Ireland, bogs were sacred places.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40They were places where ritual practices took place.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45And we know that there was a form of ritual killing,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49which was appropriate to the killing of a king.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53And I think the type of multiple injuries which occur on these bodies
0:40:53 > 0:40:56reflect that tradition.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Decapitated, then sliced right through.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Killed and then symbolically killed again.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11This was a Celtic sacrifice of a chief or a king.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18And forensic archaeology is suggesting that
0:41:18 > 0:41:21such ancient rites were seasonal.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30Rolly Read, Head of Conservation at the National Museum of Ireland,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34has been investigating Moydrum Man - a newly discovered bog body.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46So, Rolly, what is this object that you have so carefully extracted from
0:41:46 > 0:41:48the innards of this bog body?
0:41:48 > 0:41:52We think that it's probably a sloe stone.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56And it has just come from this area here of the bog body.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58You can see there's a line of them.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02- So all those little ovals are little sloe stones?- Yes, that right.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04And they seem to be following roughly
0:42:04 > 0:42:07the line of the large intestine.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09- That's hundreds of sloes. - Hundreds and hundreds.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14I've actually done a count of the X-ray. There's at least 300 there.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16This is a bit peculiar, isn't it,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19because I've tasted a sloe and it wasn't very nice.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23- I mean, they're bitter, sour, little plums, aren't they?- They are, yeah.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25So what is happening here?
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Why is somebody eating a meal of hundreds of sloes?
0:42:27 > 0:42:33Nobody is going to ingest 300 sloes, no matter how hungry they are.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I think we can say this is a ritual meal. First of all,
0:42:36 > 0:42:41the sloe ripens at the end of October, the beginning of November,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45- that is the festival of Samhain. - Halloween.- Modern Halloween.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48And that is the time of year,
0:42:48 > 0:42:52which according to the early Irish written material, kings were killed.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- Really?- Almost every reference to the ritual killing of a king,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57it takes place at Samhain.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Scientific evidence from Irish bog bodies suggests that
0:43:08 > 0:43:12the Romans were right to be wary of the untamed lands to the West.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18Roman histories are full of lurid stories of bloodthirsty Celtic rites
0:43:18 > 0:43:22and human sacrifice, overseen by Druids.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29The Druids, they believed, were the embodiment of a brutal culture -
0:43:29 > 0:43:34people who encouraged insurrection and desired Celtic independence.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40No wonder Paulinus felt compelled to march to Mona,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43the island of Anglesey, to put an end to them.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49And he did, with ruthless efficiency.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59The destruction of the Druid stronghold of Mona was part of
0:43:59 > 0:44:03an endgame in the Roman's quest to annihilate an ancient culture.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09They wanted no-one to be in doubt as to who was in charge,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13or that the Roman view of civilisation had triumphed over
0:44:13 > 0:44:15the barbarian Celt.
0:44:16 > 0:44:21It had been less than 20 years since the Roman invasion of Britain.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24In that time they had built cities,
0:44:24 > 0:44:29proclaiming their imperial might - cities that still exist today.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36But in leading his armies north to destroy the Druids,
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Paulinus had left these cities largely undefended.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46After Camulodunum had been razed to the ground,
0:44:46 > 0:44:50Boudicca's army continued its rampage in the Roman port
0:44:50 > 0:44:53and commercial centre of Londinium.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00After London, it was the turn of the municipal town of Verulamium -
0:45:00 > 0:45:02now St Albans.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Throughout the south and east, Romans were terrorised,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11ritually mutilated and their cities burned.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Tacitus estimates that 70,000 people lay dead.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20According to the traditional history, all this was triggered by
0:45:20 > 0:45:24the Romans' brutal treatment of the Iceni Queen and her daughters.
0:45:25 > 0:45:29But there may be much more to this Celtic rebellion
0:45:29 > 0:45:31than this popular story of personal vengeance.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37It seems too much of a coincidence
0:45:37 > 0:45:40that these two events in British history -
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Boudicca's revolt and the slaughter of the Druids by Paulinus -
0:45:44 > 0:45:47should happen at exactly the same time.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52The Boudiccan revolt involved an alliance of tribes,
0:45:52 > 0:45:56but it might not just have been about the treatment of the Iceni
0:45:56 > 0:45:58and their queen,
0:45:58 > 0:46:01it may have been something much more important.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03Paulinus's assault on the Druids
0:46:03 > 0:46:06was an attack on everything the Celts believed,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08everything they understood.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11So when Boudicca stood up to the Romans and said, "No,"
0:46:11 > 0:46:14the other British tribes stood up alongside her
0:46:14 > 0:46:16to defend their entire way of life.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26It wasn't until the Celtic insurrection was well underway
0:46:26 > 0:46:28that news reached Anglesey.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Paulinus understood he had to act and fast.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46From Anglesey, it was a long march south.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48The two armies advanced towards one another
0:46:48 > 0:46:51from opposite ends of Watling Street.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Paulinus was at the head of two legions -
0:46:53 > 0:46:5710,000 highly-trained, battle-hardened troops.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00But according to the ancient sources, Boudicca's force
0:47:00 > 0:47:04might have outnumbered his force by as much as 20 to one.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19The scene was set for one of the most important battles in
0:47:19 > 0:47:22the history of our islands.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27At stake was the fate of Britain and the future of Roman rule
0:47:27 > 0:47:28in this outpost of their empire.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35The two powers met for a final showdown that today is known as
0:47:35 > 0:47:37the Battle of Watling Street.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43No-one knows the precise location of the Battle of Watling Street,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45but one favoured location is here,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48on the slopes above Mancetter, northeast of Birmingham.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Ancient military expert Mike Loades has been studying
0:47:54 > 0:47:56the tactics of the battle.
0:47:57 > 0:48:03The only way Paulinus could stand a chance of facing a big army
0:48:03 > 0:48:05is in terrain like this.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10If he's got the smaller army then his big fear is being outflanked
0:48:10 > 0:48:12and attacked in the rear.
0:48:12 > 0:48:18Here he's surrounded by trees, woodland with thick bramble,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20men cannot move quickly through there.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Horses cannot move quickly through there.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25And we're told he was at the top of a slope,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28so he's got the advantage of height.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30The attacking army has got to work to come up the slope,
0:48:30 > 0:48:34it's much easier to repel them down the slopes.
0:48:35 > 0:48:40Tacitus tells us the Britons entered the battleground full of confidence.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45They massively outnumbered their enemy, and knew that this was
0:48:45 > 0:48:48their chance to finally defeat the Romans for good.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56If beaten, the Romans knew they had little chance of escape.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06If they had lost, none of them could have expected to live
0:49:06 > 0:49:09and they could have expected to die horribly and gruesomely,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12as they would have heard had happened in Colchester
0:49:12 > 0:49:14and London and St Albans.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16So they would have known what was at stake,
0:49:16 > 0:49:22and they'd never faced the Celts in pitched battle like this.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25400 years of conflict between the Celts and Romans
0:49:25 > 0:49:27were about to come to a head.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32Paulinus knew that if the Romans were to survive the onslaught
0:49:32 > 0:49:37they had to hold their lines, or every last man would be slaughtered.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56There's a wave of angry men.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Angry, big men. And that shield is a Celtic warrior
0:49:59 > 0:50:02and that will have a similar momentum of a Celtic warrior
0:50:02 > 0:50:05rushing at you, and you get to kill him.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07I'm promising nothing.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09OK, Andy, bring it on.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Look at that!
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- He's down! The man's down! - He is. And look what's happened.
0:50:23 > 0:50:24Now this is the interesting bit.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27It won't come out because of that head design.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30- It's got kind of a barb. - It's got a barb.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32Now, if I'm holding this shield,
0:50:32 > 0:50:36it could have gone through enough to kill me, if you were strong,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39but if not, I've got this, I can't get it out,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42that's stuck in the ground. What am I going to do?
0:50:42 > 0:50:46You throw away the shield, so you're now half the man you used to be.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48I am now half the man I used to be.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53The speed of Boudicca's chariots might have been highly effective
0:50:53 > 0:50:56on open ground, but here they were useless.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02And the Celtic swordsmen faced a solid wall of Roman shields.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07You must not step out of line.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10So in unison, to a rhythmic beat,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14they use the shield to barge the person opposite them,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17but they'd stab at the person diagonally.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19And it doesn't matter if you don't kill them.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Your job is simply to create a wound
0:51:22 > 0:51:26because you've got ten men behind you who can mop up and dispatch them
0:51:26 > 0:51:30as your hobnail boots grind over their faces
0:51:30 > 0:51:32- as you move forwards.- OK.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34That's great. Stepping in with your shoulder.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- Now, do not make another step or you'll break line.- OK.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41- All of you have stepped that one step.- OK.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Good. Let's now see if you can drive us back down the field.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Boom. Stab. Crash.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51Stab. Smash. Stab.
0:51:51 > 0:51:53Barge. Stab. Crash. Stab.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Come on, man!
0:51:56 > 0:51:59- Relentless.- Yeah.- Relentless.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11Tacitus tells us what happened next.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13"The rest of the Britons turned tail,
0:52:13 > 0:52:16"but their escape was blocked by their own wagons
0:52:16 > 0:52:20"and the Roman troops didn't refrain even from the slaughter of women
0:52:20 > 0:52:23"while pack animals which had been run through with spears
0:52:23 > 0:52:25"increased the pile of corpses."
0:52:35 > 0:52:41It's the triumph of mechanised discipline over individual warriors,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45who, in those circumstances, had no opportunity and no prospect
0:52:45 > 0:52:47of doing what they had spent their lives training to do,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49which was be individual fighters.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53The defeat was total.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58Boudicca's entire army was wiped out.
0:53:00 > 0:53:05According to Tacitus, only 400 Romans were killed that day
0:53:05 > 0:53:08compared with 80,000 Celts.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15The last great Celtic rebellion was over.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20We're told Boudicca survived the battle,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23but poisoned herself shortly after.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28And with her died any hope of another Celtic uprising
0:53:28 > 0:53:30and an end to Roman rule in Britannia.
0:53:32 > 0:53:37Boudicca disappeared from history and entered into national mythology
0:53:37 > 0:53:40a martyr to the idea of a free Britain.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45But while the Celtic rebellion was certainly real,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49can we be absolutely sure that Boudicca played a part in it
0:53:49 > 0:53:51or even existed?
0:53:51 > 0:53:56No archaeological evidence for Boudicca herself has been found.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Then in the spring of 2015, in Gloucestershire,
0:54:02 > 0:54:04an ancient gravesite was discovered
0:54:04 > 0:54:07dating to the Roman occupation of Britain.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13In amongst the human remains was a gravestone....
0:54:13 > 0:54:17and on it was carved the name Bodicacia.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Underneath the stone lay a skeleton.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Could this finally be evidence of Britain's great warrior queen?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35But the bones belonged to a man...
0:54:37 > 0:54:40..and the myth of Boudicca continues to this day.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48After centuries of conflict, the military might of Rome prevailed
0:54:48 > 0:54:51and almost all of the Celtic lands of Europe were swept up
0:54:51 > 0:54:57into the vast empire, crushed under the iron rule of the conquerors.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04But Rome didn't conquer all of Europe
0:55:04 > 0:55:07and Celtic society wasn't completely obliterated.
0:55:25 > 0:55:33THEY SPEAK GAELIC
0:55:37 > 0:55:39This is Spiddal on the west coast of Ireland.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43It's part of the Gaeltacht, where, 2,000 years after Boudicca,
0:55:43 > 0:55:47the first language is still a Celtic language - it's Gaelic.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50Here, you can hear the past, you can feel it!
0:56:00 > 0:56:03Across the fringes of Europe,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and Cornwall,
0:56:07 > 0:56:12the language of the Celts - their most important legacy - lives on.
0:56:16 > 0:56:22CHATTERING IN GAELIC
0:56:26 > 0:56:30'We've travelled thousands of miles from Turkey to Portugal
0:56:30 > 0:56:34'in search of the roots of an incredible ancient culture.'
0:56:34 > 0:56:36- They were subterranean? - Yeah. Oh, yeah.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38'Going back 3,000 years,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41'we've uncovered the story of these Iron Age tribes...'
0:56:41 > 0:56:44I'm looking right into his face.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46Look there! He's holding a spear,
0:56:46 > 0:56:49and then could be a man's severed head.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52'..who built the first great city north of the Alps
0:56:52 > 0:56:55'and created astonishing wonders
0:56:55 > 0:56:58'fabricated in the most intricate artwork...'
0:56:58 > 0:57:01It's incredibly fine work, isn't it?
0:57:01 > 0:57:04'..who were at the forefront of military innovation...'
0:57:04 > 0:57:06It's a cutting weapon.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08It's a thrusting weapon.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11'..from swords to battle chariots.'
0:57:11 > 0:57:14This was the sound of the Celts going to war.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17'But if it wasn't for the classical historians
0:57:17 > 0:57:21'we might never have known who the Celtic people were
0:57:21 > 0:57:24'and what their leaders achieved.'
0:57:24 > 0:57:26'How Brennus defeated Rome...
0:57:27 > 0:57:31'..how Vercingetorix defied Julius Caesar...
0:57:33 > 0:57:37'..and how Boudicca reignited the spirit of Celtic rebellion.'
0:57:39 > 0:57:43'Together we've discovered a remarkable story of our Celtic past.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48'A culture that remains very much alive to this day.
0:57:50 > 0:57:56'A Celtic spirit that burns deep within us as part of our world.'