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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Hi Nathan

Many thanks for this - the map is really good and encapsulates many of the points that need to be discussed.

(As a matter of interest perhaps we should apply this methodology to all the sites.)

Like you when I first looked at the site I had assumed the obvious defensive position was for the Roman army to block the valley (as the current thinking would have us believe) but came to the conclusion that the valley position could be outflanked and the force be attacked from behind and enveloped due to the size of the Brythonic horde which could also attack from Avebury or indeed from the Ridgeway.

Also there was no frontal plain.

So the valley location did not make sense and also Tacitus seems (and I use that word advisedly) to indicate that the valley itself offered a defense. Yet if you think of it, the valley floor offers no protection whatsoever.

So what protection could a defile give the Romans? Yes it funneled the Brythons down to a limited front but nothing else.

By turning the Cunetio site so that the Army was on the side of the defile, immediately the Roman Army had protection and the plain was in front. The Front was also effectively limited because the Agger of the Roman Road formed the Eastern edge of the position as a protection which could be manned.

Obviously the one weak area that becomes apparent is the option that the horde if moving in from the East could go up the very route that you suggest because it is a more gentle slope.

There are a number of options here:

1. I mentioned the Agger earlier and this could have been used as a defensive line manned by 1,000 local auxiliaries. If John is right about the artillery they would have been able to form a withering fire from here and protect the flanks.

2. You mentioned forestation in an earlier post and I surmise that in fact the area between the forest and the ridge would have been wooded at this time but obviously I cannot prove it any more than any of the sites can prove to be wooded. What I can say is that in the 1840s there is more forestation around the bottom of Forest Hill according to a map I found.

What does seem to support this matter is that if you look at your map you can see an earthworks on the slope to the east that goes up towards Hill Barn - see attached picture:

[attachment=5205]CUNETIOEARTHWORKS.pdf[/attachment]

The Western approach even today is protected by forest but you would expect the Romans to have secured that side as well again protected by the earthworks from an earlier oppida.

3. Using marching speeds etc. it is possible to demonstrate that Seutonius Paulinus was there a few days before the Brythons and would have been able to have set up considerable defensive works similar to what would have been set up around a marching camp or more.

Behind the Roman army was in fact the earlier iron age fort /oppida so this was obviously a proven defensive position.

Regarding Dunstable:

[attachment=5206]DUNSTABLE.pdf[/attachment]

I have mapped the battle site and placed wagons where you say. The width of the valley is around 1200 - 1300 yards which mean at 8 deep you would need all your infantry in the valley with the cavalry on the wings.

I have put the Brythonic horde of 180,000 men (assuming 50,000 in the baggage train) in close order of 1 yard per man with 3 yards between each row and 90 rows. As you can see it is a considerable force.

Although you maintain that the hills would have funnelled the horde I think that the hills are not particularly steep and have shown that when the Romans attacked and the Brythons broke they would have just run away over the hills.

I think that perhaps the 80,000 slaughter was in fact the baggage train, the families, the cattle and the warriors who ran back to get their families and just could not get away.

The other 150,0000 escaped...allegedly.

Kind Regards - Deryk


Attached Files
.pdf   CUNETIOEARTHWORKS.pdf (Size: 253.24 KB / Downloads: 0)
.pdf   DUNSTABLE.pdf (Size: 303.83 KB / Downloads: 0)
Deryk
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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
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Deryk - 09-16-2012, 09:00 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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