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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Hi Moi,
Quote: I believe the road infrastructure led to the establishment of Cunetio not the other way round and again I am not sure if the roads would have been established to such a degree twenty years after gaining a first foot hold in Britain to allow for a rapid withdrawl of such a large Roman force.
I cannot but agree about the probable state of the Roman road system, but when we are discussing the use of the roads by the Roman forces, the impact would have been the same. We can’t vouch for the exact building date for any of the Roman roads in Britain I presume, but if Paulinus used the road to travel from wales to Londinium, it would be feasible for the rod from Londinium to bath, and the Mildenhall-Cirencester extension, to have been in place too, at least in some form.
Anyway, the Ridgweay is but a few miles to the North and that one was certainly in place.
Perhaps I’ve read over it in this lengthy discussion, but due west of Upper Cunetio lies quite a large hill fort (or rather the earthworks of the remains). I believe the dating is pre-Roman Iron Age, and the position could well betray a British settlement that was the ancestor of later Romano-British Cunetio, like so many hillforts. The hill is quite steep, overlooking Marlborough today. Ive cycled there a few times.
A nice picture taken from the earthworks above the river Kennet looking North:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2800775

Quote: I also have to agree with Nathan; the Kennet is a sizeable river which must surely have been present in the First Century. Would it's presence in the middle of the battle field not have been mentioned by the sources? And would not both forces see it as a hazard to manoeuvre particularly for cavalry? The river's presence there at all - and being so far west - makes me doubt your otherwise well argued case for Cunetio.
The river is not very large in this area. It originates but about 10 kms northwest, and like so many rivers in the Marlborough Downs its mostly a ‘winterbourne’. Meaning that at times it can be quite low. Today there are spots in the area where you can wade through it.
If you need steep slopes, they are here too: the Kennet valley just north of the hillfort is the spot where the river ‘breaks’ through the hills (also the gap followed by the (later?) Roman road) is very narrow and quite steep on either flank. It would have been great for the British if the had managed to trap the Romans while travelling through that gap.
The river just west of that gap: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/337331
Robert Vermaat
MODERATOR
FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Robert Vermaat - 08-10-2012, 04:34 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM

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