Britannia Revealed As An Island As New Lands Discovered In North

Roman sailors have discovered that Britannia is completely surrounded by water, something no Roman knew.

An expedition organised by Agricola, Governor of Britannia, has shown that Britannia is the biggest island in the Roman empire. A new chain of islands was also discovered which have been called the Orcades (Orkneys).

The discovery of the Orcades (Orkneys) this year (83 AD) has greatly expanded Roman knowledge of the western edge of its empire in Britannia.

The Romans have discovered and conquered the Orcades (Orkneys) and have had a look at Ultima Thule, (probably the Shetland Islands). Thule is the most northerly land discovered in the world so far. The sailors have reported that the summer days stay light for a very long time. As winter approaches the ships may well have to head back south to avoid any bad weather.

The navy is being used to support Agricola's attack on the barbarians in the north of Britannia (in Scotland). Ships can transport soldiers and cargo more quickly than travelling across land.

The Roman fleet is called the classis. Although it is needed to get men and heavy supplies quickly to far-flung parts of the Roman Empire, it is not considered as important as the army, which controls it. In the early days the Romans copied the design of ships used by successful sailing nations like the Greeks and Carthaginians. The sailors, rowers and soldiers in the fleet are auxiliaries, not slaves. They get citizenship after 26 years' service.

For many years the fleet has been used for fighting seafaring states in the Mediterranean. The Romans aim their ships as fast as they can at the side of the enemy's ship and sink it or destroy its oars. Gradually they have developed ways of making it easier for soldiers to get on board and fight the enemy crew. Now they fire stones and flaming arrows at the enemy then they lower a huge spiked platform called the corvus on to the enemy ship like a drawbridge and armed troops go over to fight. The corvus does make ships dangerously top heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. The sails of Roman ships and sailors' tunics are pale blue, which makes them more difficult to make out against the sea.

The Romans have built forts, lighthouses, harbours and docks to make sea travel easier and safer, and the Navy works hard to keep the seas free from pirates. There is a Roman lighthouse on the south coast of Britannia at Dubris (Dover). It is 24 metres high, made of stone and has a wood fire at the top that can be seen from out at sea.