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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
(05-30-2016, 10:11 PM)Nathan Ross Wrote:
(05-29-2016, 09:23 PM)David Scothorn Wrote: why not abandon some elements the topography and look for a memorial around Towcester?

I still think it's unlikely that the Romans would have erected a memorial or tropaeum to this battle; such things were pretty rare, and usually commemorated either a big imperial victory or a big territorial gain. This was neither, and bearing in mind the supposed political climate in AD62 (Paulinus recalled - apparently under a cloud - and a more placatory governor installed), a monument might have been seen as needlessly antagonising the native population and glorifying what was essentially a counter-insurgency campaign led by a man out of imperial favour.

However, if any evidence of such a thing ever turned up in a suitable location, I'd reconsider! [Image: wink.png]


(05-29-2016, 09:23 PM)David Scothorn Wrote: Have we always placed too much emphasis on the 'narrow defile? But where would that leave us?

Nowhere much, I think. T's description of the location may have been invented, but it's pretty much all we have to select an exact location. If we discount it, we're left with a battle that could have happened just about anywhere in south-east England...

Only by combining the topographical stuff about the site itself with a strategic survey (routes, travel times and distances, reinforcement and supply possibilities) and some idea of a plausible chronology can we narrow down the options.

(05-31-2016, 10:26 AM)Nathan Ross Wrote:
(05-30-2016, 11:38 PM)David Scothorn Wrote: Is it unreasonable to propose that a wider-geographical location of Iaciodulma is at Castle Dykes?

I think so, I'm afraid. The Ravenna Cosmography is a list of places compiled in the 8th century: 'Iaciodulma' appears between St Albans and Wall, so is probably a town on Watling Street somewhere. Towcester is the obvious choice, and the similarity with 'Lactodurum' is compelling. Whatever there was or was not at Church Stowe, I don't think there's any evidence of a town or settlement there, certainly not one that would have survived on maps for many centuries afterwards.


(05-30-2016, 11:38 PM)David Scothorn Wrote: "...it is more than likely that the Romans would have marked the site."

This is quoted from John's survey of the Church Stowe site. The location's very interesting, and there may indeed have been some Roman military activity there. It's possible that this is the site of our battle, although I continue to find a couple of other options more likely, as far as our limited means to determine these things goes! [Image: wink.png]

About the memorialisation of the site, though, I'm not convinced. Why would the Romans have 'more than likely' done this? No memorial marked the site of the defeat of Florus and Sacrovir in Gaul, or of the Batavian rebels, or even of Spartacus. Until recent centuries, it was apparently common for the exact sites of battles to be forgotten within a few generations.


(05-30-2016, 11:51 PM)David Scothorn Wrote: Having reached a stalemate trying to identify the 'narrow defile', is it not time to look at other lateral possibilities?

I don't know about a stalemate - I think we've collectively come up with a good handful of very strong possibilities. Personally I'd still go for Tring 2/New Ground as the best option.

Lateral thinking's always good, and we've been doing a fair bit of that too over the years! Further suggestions are certainly welcome.


Thank you all for your patient replies. I was thinking more about the possibility of a memorial site at Castle Dykes rather than a settlement.
When I said 'stalemate', I was suggesting that some other (lateral) possibilities be considered, not those already discussed extensively.
I have never come across a more compelling (archeohistorical) discussion than this one.
BTW. I have been on this site before, just forgotten my log in name and password, or too lazy to look it up, morelike.
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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 David Scothorn - 06-01-2016, 10:58 PM

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