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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: Dio claims there are women in the ranks so we have a picture of a society where there was no gender separation of roles in combat... 

Do you mean Tacitus? Annals 14.35: ""There," he said, "you see more women than warriors. Unwarlike, unarmed, they will give way the moment they have recognised that sword and that courage of their conquerors, which have so often routed them." (plus illic feminarum quam iuventutis adspici. imbelles inermes cessuros statim, ubi ferrum virtutemque vincentium totiens fusi agnovissent).

This is often mentioned in relation with the 'warrior women' idea, but I think the sense of it is that the women are not warriors, but are mixed up with the men and make the horde look bigger.

Tacitus also says that the Britons, "so fierce in spirit that they actually brought with them, to witness the victory, their wives riding in waggons" (et animo adeo fero[ci], ut coniuges quoque testes victoriae secum traherent plaustrisque imponerent)

Clear distinction here between the 'wives' and the rest - so we can rule out any idea (at least from this source) of a mixed-gender rebel army!


(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: the whole population came to watch the events unfold as a cultural experience, the vengeance for the Druids, and to make the most of reaping the loot rewards of the day or to simply have a good knees up

As I think we established above, there was probably no connection between the druids and the Iceni. But, as T says above the 'wives' were there to 'witness the victory' - although this tells us nothing about how far or from where they had travelled.


(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: for Paulinus to bring in the II and other units would have required a mustering point.

Yes, and we have one - St Albans, the meeting point of Akeman and Watling Street.

One of only three locations mentioned by Tacitus, a Roman-allied settlement, and the place where Paulinus could best be reinforced from both north and west, while guarding his line of communication and preserving observation distance with the enemy. (As I've said before, if he went galloping off into the Midlands he was effectively blind. Useless!)


(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: I think the texts describe something else in terms of Paulinus' movement to and from London with roving bands to dodge

As you know very well, the 'texts' describe absolutely nothing of the sort!


(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: Vietnam... ARVN sending tank columns into Saigon... only this time Bou's ARVN didn't take Saigon... Roman field fortifications and a huge memorial structure.

Have you been watching that Ken Burns documentary or something?

I shall put all this down to your imagination running away with itself... [Image: tongue.png]


(12-01-2018, 08:43 PM)John1 Wrote: LIST THEM, for each of the candidate sites show me a camp or series of suitable camps  in the vicinity of the candidate battle site.

As we have also discussed many times, the considerable lack of identified marching camps in southern England makes this almost impossible. We know they must be there somewhere... but nobody's found them (yet!)

In 'waving at a field' terms I would, for the Newground site, identify anywhere in the vicinity of Tring Station or the plain east of Tring itself as a suitable Roman camp ground, level and well watered. Alcester (Claudian/Neronian vexillation fortress) is within a day's march. Cow Roast looks like a good elevation for the British wagon camp, and has produced Roman military remains. The Britons approach along the Bulborne from St Albans, then flee in the opposite direction, one of them perhaps ditching the 'Tring helmet' on the way! The site is within ten miles of St Albans, so no need for intermediate camps.

For Manshead, the strategic camp would be at Tilsworth, and the tactical one at modern Dunstable - both show 1st century ditch lines, and have water access. Britons move up via Flamstead and Markyate, and assemble west of Kensworth, drawing water from the headwaters of the Ver.
Nathan Ross
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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 Nathan Ross - 12-01-2018, 10:40 PM

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