Emperor Constans made a remarkable midwinter crossing of the Channel to visit Britain in 343 AD — an unprecedented emergency visit by an emperor. Only a serious military crisis would have prompted this. The sources are vague but Pictish and Scottish raids are the most likely explanation. The visit also relates to the mysterious "arcani" or "areani" — Roman agents who lived among the northern tribes and provided intelligence (and who were accused of betrayal in 367 AD).
Romans: c. 4,000–6,000 under Constans. Northern raiders: c. 2,000–3,500.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
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