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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Nathan Ross wrote:
Only because there's mid-1st-C burnt debris along that route (as mentioned in the Nic Fuentes article proposing Virginia Water). It seems unlikely that the rebels, having found London unprovisioned, would not have ravaged quite widely, and this was settled agricultural land.

Certainly possible

Nathan Ross wrote:
Your plan has the Iceni continuing up Akeman Street and following it around to the west to face the Romans directly from the north-east, when they could easily have flanked Paulinus or even got behind him by moving up the relatively gentle slopes west of the Bulbourne valley to occupy the high ground that lay between them.

It is a valid point but I would contend that “Grims Ditch” was in fact used as a defence. The ditch itself stretches from the Bulbourne valley floor up and across the plateau to the next valley protecting the flank completely.

Fig: 1

.pdf   ROMANS AT TRING 1.pdf (Size: 167.56 KB / Downloads: 4)

 
As you are aware I do have a problem with the “one valley” scenario proposed by Tacitus but if that is the case the main valley (illustrated) at Tring would work as the topography would stop chariots and any massed infantry from flanking this position. The "ramparts" are steep and hundreds of feet high.

Fig: 2

.pdf   ROMANS AT TRING 2.pdf (Size: 145.07 KB / Downloads: 5)

 
Tring does appear to be the only site to have the ability to host Dio’s scenario of the three divisions I am not sure that Dunstable could but you may be able to convince me otherwise. 

Nathan Ross wrote:

Meanwhile, for those who like Tring, here's an alternative site in the same vicinity. Aldbury - big defile, wooded hills on all sides, Akeman Street nearby. Big plain in front (Grand Union canal can be discounted, and the Bulbourne would be a very small stream here). Paulinus could have camped his men around Ivinghoe, north-northwest, and marched them over the saddle into the defile when the rebels approached. I've suggested two possible Roman positions, just for fun.

I have looked at this before, being so near to Chivery Top but it seems rather “open ended” to me and Paulinus would have ended up fighting on two fronts.

Fig: 3
 
.pdf   ROMANS AT ALDBURY.pdf (Size: 145.69 KB / Downloads: 10)


Again the battlefield would have had a stream running through it (we have no idea of its size at this time admittedly) but we have discounted this time after time (Dorking, Cunetio and Mancetter).
 
Nathan Ross wrote:
Which would imply that the fighting was still ongoing in July/September. That opens out the timescale for the latter stage of the uprising, although we still need time for both Classicianus and Polyclitus to turn up from Rome and make their reports, apparently before Paulinus lost his ships (in late autumn/winter?)


This seems to me to be more plausible although I would have thought that Paulinus lost his ships in early AD62 (which is of course the end of winter) as part of his campaign of finally trying to destroy the Brythons hiding in the Fens.
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 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
RE: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand. - by Theoderic - 12-01-2015, 11:47 AM

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