Our Enemies in the North

[Nathan Ross]

Cassius Dio, writing about the Severan campaigns north of Hadrian's Wall, describes the tribes of the north Britons thus:<br>
<br>
Quote:</em></strong><hr>There are two principal races of the Britons, the Caledonians and the Maeatae, and the names of the others have been merged in these two. The Maeatae live next to the cross-wall which cuts the island in half, and the Caledonians are beyond them.<hr><br>
<br>
Ptolemy, in the previous century, lists the northern tribes of Britain, including the Caledonii but not mentioning the Maetae. In 297, meanwhile, the northerners are called the Caledonians and the Picts.<br>
<br>
There seem to be a lot of theories - some rather eyerolling - about who all these people might have been - were they essentially the same as the (southern) Britons, being merely an unromanised version, or were they a different group altogether? And how do they relate to the 'Picts'?<br>
<br>
I'm curious to know whether anyone here has a particular theory, or can suggest a new interpretation, as to the real identity of these 'northern barbarians'... <p></p><i></i>