An interesting historical tide analysis

There appears to be a big debate (although I have to admit it passed me by) over the exact date that Julius Caesar and his army landed on the South Coast of England and where they landed. Some clever johnnies in Texas analyzed the tides and calculated that Caesar arrived 4 days earlier than originally thought on August 22nd, 55BC. It was believed that he landed in Deal, which is understandable as it is a lovely spot, has a beautiful links golf course and some nice tea shops. Very attractive to a large group of legionnaires, no doubt. But according to Dr Olson from Texas State University, given the tides on that day, this would have been impossible. They were able to recalculate that based on tides and currents, position of the sun, channel ferry schedules and the price of corn that Caesar must have landed 4 days earlier. For someone like me who can barely read a tide table, this is a very impressive analysis. You can find the full article here and an audio interview bit here.