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Intro: Who is Commius?

Commius the Atrebatian (57 - 50 B.C) was a Belgic leader who supported Julius Caesar for most of the Gallic War (58 - 50 B.C) before switching sides and taking part in the final revolt under Vercingetorix. (52 B.C) Commius first comes to our attention after Caesar's victory over the Belgic tribes on the Sambre in (57 B.C) In the aftermath of the battle Caesar made Commius king of the Atrebates, having been impressed with his courage and conduct and in the belief that he would be loyal to the Romans. (Julius Caesar, Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War Book 2 Publication date 58 - 49 B.C)

Commius next appears in (55 B.C) when Caesar was planning his first expedition to Britain. Commius was sent across the channel with orders to visit as many states as possible and convince them to accept Roman protection. This mission ended before it began. Commius was captured almost immediately after he landed in Britain and was thrown into chains. He was only released after Caesar had successfully fought his way ashore. Commius then commanded a small force of 30 horsemen who had been part of his original entourage, using them to pursue the Britons after the failure of their attack on the Roman camp. Commius returned to Britain with Caesar in the following year (54 B.C) Towards the end of this second expedition, he was used to negotiate the peace settlement with Cassivellaunus. (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 4.21, 4.27, 4.35, 5.22)

At the end of the second expedition to Britain Commius returned to Gaul. After Caesar subdued the Menapii tribe, in the Rhine delta, Commius was left in command in the area, at the head of a cavalry force. He was rewarded for his loyalty by being granted the lands of the Morini and his kingdom was made exempt from taxes (54 B.C) (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 6.6, 7.76)

During the winter of (53 - 52 B.C), Commius had a change of heart and joined the rebels. That winter Labienus commanded in Gaul while Caesar wintered in northern Italy, in the other half of his province. According to Caesar Labienus discovered that Commius was conspiring against Caesar and decided to attempt to trap him. Caius Volusenus Quadratus and a group of centurions were sent to meet Commius. The plan was for Volusenus to take Commius by the hand, an unusual gesture for the time. One of his centurions was to use this as an excuse to kill Commius, presumably in the hope that the death might have looked like a tragic accident and not a deliberate killing. This plan failed. Commius suffered a severe head wound, but was saved by his friends. After a tense standoff, the Gaul’s escaped. Commius vowed never to come within sight of a Roman. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.23)

Commius is next mentioned after the start of the siege of Alesia (52 BC). When Vercingetorix called for a relief army Commius used his contacts amongst the Bellovaci to convince them to contribute 2,000 men to the army, although the rest of their army remained in the north. He was one of four men who shared the supreme command of the relief arm, a division of command that may have contributed to the Gaul's failure around Alesia. (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 7.75-76, 79)

After the fall of Alesia Commius returned to the north and joined Correus of the Bellovaci. The two men commanded the last major Gallic army to directly oppose Caesar, and for some time they managed to hold off the Romans, retreating into swamps and woods and avoiding battle. Commius traveled into Germany in an attempt to find allies, eventually returning with 500 cavalry. He survived the ambush in which Correus was killed, and when the surviving Bellovaci nobles decided to submit to Caesar he fled across the Rhine and took refuge with the same German tribe. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.6-7, 10, 21)
In (51 B.C) Commius returned to Gaul, at the head of a band of his surviving followers, and conducted a guerrilla campaign against the Romans, surviving on supplies captured from their convoys. The nearest Roman commander, Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony), sent a cavalry force to catch him. After a series of minor clashes, Commius suffered a serious defeat after a battle in which the Romans killed a large number of his followers after their own leader, Caius Volusenus Quadratus, was badly wounded. This convinced Commius that further resistance was useless, and he sent a message to Antonius offering to go wherever he was sent as long as he didn't have to come into the presence of any Romans. Antonius accepted these terms, and the last serious resistance to Roman rule came to an end. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.47-48)

At some point after this (possibly in 50 B.C) Commius probably moved to Britain, where coin evidence suggests that he became king of an area south of the river Thames that included modern Hampshire and Sussex. Coin evidence also suggests that three of his sons also ruled areas of southern Britain. (Sextus Julius Frontinus, Stratagemata 2:13.11 Publication date (40 – 103 A.D)

Commius's name appears on coins of post-conquest date in Gaul (51 – 35 B.C), paired with either Garmanos or Carsicios. This suggests he continued to have some power in Gaul in his absence, perhaps ruling through regents. Alternatively, Garmanos and Carsicios may have been Commius's sons who noted their father's name on their own coins. (John Creighton, Coins, and power in Late Iron Age Britain, Cambridge University Press 2000)

Commius in Britain (51 – 35 B.C)
(51 B.C) Commius flees the Atrebates of mainland Europe. Sextus Julius Frontinus, writes: 'Commius, the Atrebatian, when defeated by the deified Julius, fled from Gaul to Britain, and happened to reach the Channel at a time when the wind was fair, but the tide was out. Although the vessels were stranded on the flats, he nevertheless ordered the sails to be spread. Caesar, who was following from a distance, seeing the sails swelling with the full breeze, and imagining Commius to be escaping from his hands and to be proceeding on a prosperous voyage, abandoned the pursuit.'(Sextus Julius Frontinus, the Stratagemata 40 – 103 A.D)

Commius brings with him just his own retainers, survivors of a heavy defeat in Gaul. The size and strength of the Atrebates tribe he joins in Britain is unknown. They certainly occupy their own territory in this period, and govern the Belgae and Regninses (and possibly even the Dobunni), who may all be constituent parts of the same tribe, but how much significance they hold is unclear. They may not even be formed into a single tribal kingdom until Commius becomes their king.

Commius Ladder head

The portrait depicted on the Ladder head types is believed to have been minted my Commius the Atrebatian, documented in Julius Caesar De Bello Gallico. This evidence is reinforced with Sextus Julius Frontinus, Stratagemata, in which he tells us how Commius fled to Britain with a group of followers with Caesar in pursuit in approximately 51BC. There is also a possibility the Commius depicted on the Ladder head types is a descent or inherited the title from another COM (mios), If correct we may assert that this other COM (mios) is very likely to have been the Commius the Atrebatian of Caesar. Unless these two Commios were contemporaries in minting, although this is very unlikely.

Commius landed on the British Sussex coast and established himself as King of the Atrebates. He established a capital Oppidum at both Calleva (Silchester, Hampshire) and Cymenshorea (Mixon Rocks, Selsey, Sussex). There may have already been an Atrebates tribe in Britain that accepted Commius as their king. The Commios Ladder Head. (Upright) Type begins to start appearing in large areas of north of the Thames, Hampshire and Sussex in approximately 45 – 30BC. The most distinctive feature on these quarter staters attributed to Commios, is his ladder hair, Headdress or Helmet, with what appears to be resting on his head and shoulders. As well as the E symbol located opposite his face, believed to be a Trident or Celtic flower symbol of some kind.

Coins marked with Commios continued to be issued after 35 BC, and some have suggested, based on the length of his floruit, some coins of this period are stamped "COM COMMIOS", which, if interpreted as "Commius son of Commius", would seem to support Commius son, Commius II. Its possible that Commios II minded some ladder-head types or all of them

Description
Intro: Who is Commius?

Commius the Atrebatian (57 - 50 B.C) was a Belgic leader who supported Julius Caesar for most of the Gallic War (58 - 50 B.C) before switching sides and taking part in the final revolt under Vercingetorix. (52 B.C) Commius first comes to our attention after Caesar's victory over the Belgic tribes on the Sambre in (57 B.C) In the aftermath of the battle Caesar made Commius king of the Atrebates, having been impressed with his courage and conduct and in the belief that he would be loyal to the Romans. (Julius Caesar, Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War Book 2 Publication date 58 - 49 B.C)

Commius next appears in (55 B.C) when Caesar was planning his first expedition to Britain. Commius was sent across the channel with orders to visit as many states as possible and convince them to accept Roman protection. This mission ended before it began. Commius was captured almost immediately after he landed in Britain and was thrown into chains. He was only released after Caesar had successfully fought his way ashore. Commius then commanded a small force of 30 horsemen who had been part of his original entourage, using them to pursue the Britons after the failure of their attack on the Roman camp. Commius returned to Britain with Caesar in the following year (54 B.C) Towards the end of this second expedition, he was used to negotiate the peace settlement with Cassivellaunus. (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 4.21, 4.27, 4.35, 5.22)

At the end of the second expedition to Britain Commius returned to Gaul. After Caesar subdued the Menapii tribe, in the Rhine delta, Commius was left in command in the area, at the head of a cavalry force. He was rewarded for his loyalty by being granted the lands of the Morini and his kingdom was made exempt from taxes (54 B.C) (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 6.6, 7.76)

During the winter of (53 - 52 B.C), Commius had a change of heart and joined the rebels. That winter Labienus commanded in Gaul while Caesar wintered in northern Italy, in the other half of his province. According to Caesar Labienus discovered that Commius was conspiring against Caesar and decided to attempt to trap him. Caius Volusenus Quadratus and a group of centurions were sent to meet Commius. The plan was for Volusenus to take Commius by the hand, an unusual gesture for the time. One of his centurions was to use this as an excuse to kill Commius, presumably in the hope that the death might have looked like a tragic accident and not a deliberate killing. This plan failed. Commius suffered a severe head wound, but was saved by his friends. After a tense standoff, the Gaul’s escaped. Commius vowed never to come within sight of a Roman. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.23)

Commius is next mentioned after the start of the siege of Alesia (52 BC). When Vercingetorix called for a relief army Commius used his contacts amongst the Bellovaci to convince them to contribute 2,000 men to the army, although the rest of their army remained in the north. He was one of four men who shared the supreme command of the relief arm, a division of command that may have contributed to the Gaul's failure around Alesia. (Julius Caesar Commentaries on the Gallic War 7.75-76, 79)

After the fall of Alesia Commius returned to the north and joined Correus of the Bellovaci. The two men commanded the last major Gallic army to directly oppose Caesar, and for some time they managed to hold off the Romans, retreating into swamps and woods and avoiding battle. Commius traveled into Germany in an attempt to find allies, eventually returning with 500 cavalry. He survived the ambush in which Correus was killed, and when the surviving Bellovaci nobles decided to submit to Caesar he fled across the Rhine and took refuge with the same German tribe. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.6-7, 10, 21)
In (51 B.C) Commius returned to Gaul, at the head of a band of his surviving followers, and conducted a guerrilla campaign against the Romans, surviving on supplies captured from their convoys. The nearest Roman commander, Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony), sent a cavalry force to catch him. After a series of minor clashes, Commius suffered a serious defeat after a battle in which the Romans killed a large number of his followers after their own leader, Caius Volusenus Quadratus, was badly wounded. This convinced Commius that further resistance was useless, and he sent a message to Antonius offering to go wherever he was sent as long as he didn't have to come into the presence of any Romans. Antonius accepted these terms, and the last serious resistance to Roman rule came to an end. (Aulus Hirtius Commentaries on the Gallic War 8.47-48)

At some point after this (possibly in 50 B.C) Commius probably moved to Britain, where coin evidence suggests that he became king of an area south of the river Thames that included modern Hampshire and Sussex. Coin evidence also suggests that three of his sons also ruled areas of southern Britain. (Sextus Julius Frontinus, Stratagemata 2:13.11 Publication date (40 – 103 A.D)

Commius's name appears on coins of post-conquest date in Gaul (51 – 35 B.C), paired with either Garmanos or Carsicios. This suggests he continued to have some power in Gaul in his absence, perhaps ruling through regents. Alternatively, Garmanos and Carsicios may have been Commius's sons who noted their father's name on their own coins. (John Creighton, Coins, and power in Late Iron Age Britain, Cambridge University Press 2000)

Commius in Britain (51 – 35 B.C)
(51 B.C) Commius flees the Atrebates of mainland Europe. Sextus Julius Frontinus, writes: 'Commius, the Atrebatian, when defeated by the deified Julius, fled from Gaul to Britain, and happened to reach the Channel at a time when the wind was fair, but the tide was out. Although the vessels were stranded on the flats, he nevertheless ordered the sails to be spread. Caesar, who was following from a distance, seeing the sails swelling with the full breeze, and imagining Commius to be escaping from his hands and to be proceeding on a prosperous voyage, abandoned the pursuit.'(Sextus Julius Frontinus, the Stratagemata 40 – 103 A.D)

Commius brings with him just his own retainers, survivors of a heavy defeat in Gaul. The size and strength of the Atrebates tribe he joins in Britain is unknown. They certainly occupy their own territory in this period, and govern the Belgae and Regninses (and possibly even the Dobunni), who may all be constituent parts of the same tribe, but how much significance they hold is unclear. They may not even be formed into a single tribal kingdom until Commius becomes their king.

Commius Ladder head

The portrait depicted on the Ladder head types is believed to have been minted my Commius the Atrebatian, documented in Julius Caesar De Bello Gallico. This evidence is reinforced with Sextus Julius Frontinus, Stratagemata, in which he tells us how Commius fled to Britain with a group of followers with Caesar in pursuit in approximately 51BC. There is also a possibility the Commius depicted on the Ladder head types is a descent or inherited the title from another COM (mios), If correct we may assert that this other COM (mios) is very likely to have been the Commius the Atrebatian of Caesar. Unless these two Commios were contemporaries in minting, although this is very unlikely.

Commius landed on the British Sussex coast and established himself as King of the Atrebates. He established a capital Oppidum at both Calleva (Silchester, Hampshire) and Cymenshorea (Mixon Rocks, Selsey, Sussex). There may have already been an Atrebates tribe in Britain that accepted Commius as their king. The Commios Ladder Head. (Upright) Type begins to start appearing in large areas of north of the Thames, Hampshire and Sussex in approximately 45 – 30BC. The most distinctive feature on these quarter staters attributed to Commios, is his ladder hair, Headdress or Helmet, with what appears to be resting on his head and shoulders. As well as the E symbol located opposite his face, believed to be a Trident or Celtic flower symbol of some kind.

Coins marked with Commios continued to be issued after 35 BC, and some have suggested, based on the length of his floruit, some coins of this period are stamped "COM COMMIOS", which, if interpreted as "Commius son of Commius", would seem to support Commius son, Commius II. Its possible that Commios II minded some ladder-head types or all of them