(I asked this in r/history, but apparently you're not allowed/supposed to do research there, so I'm hoping I can get some information here.)
Hello,
I feel a bit silly for not thinking about this sooner, but I'll try to make up for it now.
I am the proud author of a self-published work based in (an alternate) late Roman Republic, and I'm currently in the process of writing the second book, which is heavily based in Britannia. As such, I would like to ask for this subreddit's help.
What are some things I should know when writing this story? I know that's very broad, but that's kind of the point, I want as many answers as possible.
What do I need to know about the Briton tribes?
What do I need to know about their religion/gods?
What about culture? Weather? How the Britons fight? How their government works? What do they eat? So on and so forth.
I do know a bit, but I want to make sure I can fill in the gaps as much as possible.
My story also spends time in (recently conquered) Gaul, so information on the Gauls is also greatly appreciated.
All in all, I just want to write this story to be as historical accurate as possible and build a real world that my readers can really picture and fall into.
So, if anything I really should know, or any fun little tidbit of information that you think would add to a story based in these locations or this time period, I'd love to hear it.
Thank you all kindly for your time.
You should start by reading Caesar's Gallic Wars in its entirety, taking notes.
Then:
Cunliffe, Barry W. 1995. Book of Iron Age Britain. London: B.T. Batsford.
Harding, D. W. 2016. Death and burial in Iron Age Britain.
Wait, G. A. 1985. Ritual and religion in Iron Age Britain. Oxford, England: B.A.R.
Creighton, John. 2006. Britannia: the creation of a Roman province. London: Routledge.
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your creative project, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring novelists and the like, based on past experience: some people working on creative projects have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product such as a historical novel, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.
For more general advice about doing research to inform a creative project, please check out our Monday Methods post on the subject.