Picture of Hengistbury Head. Taken June ’06
Author: Hut 8.5. Source: Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0
Albion for the Greeks, Prydein for the Cymri, Brittia for the Romans, the island of Britain has not lacked diminutives. Between the first Bretons in history, who appear in the Irish Lebor Gabála Érenn, and the British peoples discovered by the Romans (a few centuries later), there is an archaeological void.
We summarise the little that historians know. Commercial relations existed between Mediterranean civilisations (Carthage especially) and the populations of the south of the island. They mainly concerned the trade in metals (gold, tin), hunting dogs and slaves. The site of Hengistbury Head (county of Dorset) was a hub as early as the 3rd century BC. Finally, the alleged Gauls known as ‘Veneti’ seemed to play a role as intermediaries. In short, nothing is known about the populations of the island before the arrival of the Romans.
Here are the main populations of the island in the first century AD. The source is the Greek geographer Ptolemy.
To decipher this patchwork, the Irish Lebor Gabála Érenn will prove very useful. It may be added that the populations of the time used to name themselves after a common ancestor or place of origin. We will look at the populations in a north- south and east-west direction.
We summarise: Gaelic (12), Cymraeg (7), Bolg (5), Brittonic (4), Domnann (2) and not set (4). The last chapter (Scythian origin) gives details of the Bolg and Domnann. Historians sometimes equate the Brittons with the Bretons. The Brittons were piratical between the mainland and the island of Britain. The Romans probably had contact with them before they set foot on the island. It would therefore not be surprising if the Latin name of the island, Brittia, derived from Brittons. The origin of these continental ‘pirates’ remains untraceable. That said, the last chapter (Scythian origin) gives a clue.