Heart of Darkness 3

• “I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago - the other day …. Light came out of this river since - you say Knights? Yes; but it is like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds. We live in the flicker - may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday.” (p. 40)

In this excerpt, Conrad is referring to the Roman invasion into Britain, led by Julius Caesar. The invasion took place in 55 B.C. and continued in 54 B.C. as the Romans established themselves as a military force in Britain. The Romans didn’t return to Britain for another 90 years but came back to take over the island in A.D. 43. Marlow is saying that even though this event took place “nineteen hundred years ago,” it seems like just yesterday the invasion took place.

(Works Cited)
"The Romans in Britain." History Learning Site. Web. 20 Aug. 2009. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/romans_in_britain.htm.