CHAPTER XIV.
BRITAIN IN THE HISTORIC PERIOD.—CONCLUSION.
The Exploration of the British Coasts.
We are now in a position to realise the condition of Britain at the time when its history began, which may conveniently be taken to be the invasion of Julius Cæsar (B.C. 55). The British Isles, first known to the civilised nations of the Mediterranean through the memorable voyage of Himilco, were visited by the Phœnician traders from that time forward, and the tin of Cornwall became famous in the marts of the south. The Phœnicians, however, only explored the south-western parts of Britain and Ireland. The east and north-eastern coasts were opened out by Pytheas, and a commerce was developed overland between Massilia and Cornwall along the routes already described in the preceding chapter (Fig. 168). The Greeks of Massilia were also acquainted with Ireland. The poet Avienus, writing while Himilco's narrative was preserved, terms Ireland "Insula sacra," which is evidently a translation of
