06-01-2016, 10:09 PM
(06-01-2016, 07:08 PM)Theoderic Wrote: There appears to be a large settlement here going back to at least the late Iron Age
Reading through that pdf again, it seems like the evidence for settlement comes from the later 1st and 2nd centuries, after the construction of the Akeman Street - most of the Iron Age material seems to be burials scattered across the valley, plus some coins and brooches. Perhaps the pre-Roman settlements were on the high ground to either side (Wigginton and Northchurch commons) and the valley was used for grazing land, burial plots and small-scale industrial work?
(06-01-2016, 07:08 PM)Theoderic Wrote: the River Bulbourne runs through the battle site
It does, although as we've discussed before it may not have presented an obstruction this high in its course, especially if the battle was in mid summer. The current stream would have been more of a river further down the valley around Berkhamsted, where there seems to have been extensive wetlands, but up near the source there was perhaps no significant volume of water.
(06-01-2016, 07:08 PM)Theoderic Wrote: the wagons were at the edge of a plain and the valley scenario doesn't seem to fit
The position of the wagons needs a bit of additional thinking, perhaps! If we imagine the Britons arriving from the south-east along the valley, following Akeman Street, they could have established their wagon park (and civilian encampment) around the site of Cow Roast village itself, spreading back along the road for some distance and perhaps laterally across the valley - draft animals and horses would need to be taken down to the stream to water them.
In this way, the wagons might be seen to block the retreat of the Britons from a battle area between Cow Roast and Newground: anyone trying to flee back along the valley would find their way impeded, even if they were not (as I've suggested before) actually fleeing to the wagons to protect their families.
Granted, this site is not a perfect match for Tacitus's description in all regards, but it's about as good as it gets, I think, bearing in mind the overall location.
Nathan Ross