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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Nathan Ross Wrote:I was amused by the claim that although we don't know the site of the battle, "we do know it's called the Battle of Watling Street"... [Image: tongue.png]

Upon what authority, I wonder.  I'm not aware of 'Proelium in Via Watlingensis' appearing in any of the sources but, as always, I am open to correction.

I've thought of a game to amuse us in lockdown.  'Battle of Watling Street' can be reduced to the acronym 'BOWS'.  What else might these letters stand for?  I'll start it off: Based On Wild Supposition.  Any other ideas?
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
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OMG OMG Nathan watched it !!!!!!!!! but sadly has yet to adjust to the level of academic rigour required for the "Adventure Travel" entertainment niche.....

(Badly Orientated War Story)
(Boudicca Obviously Went Sy-co!!!!!)
(Big 'Orrible Warriors Suck)

If you are stuck for something to do in lock down I can thoroughly recommend Margaret Hughes' book- Boudicca at Mancetter. required reading for any student of the topic;

   

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Bored Of World Shutdown,I tried "Battle of Watling St,Based On Wild Supposition".Open-world map,1760 clues and no rules .Review - Game froze on level 1".Badly Orientated War Story",some of the outfits are a little weak.Needs an update 7/10.Best ever game - Holy Grail .
Ian
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John1 Wrote:I can thoroughly recommend Margaret Hughes' book- Boudicca at Mancetter. required reading for any student of the topic;

Although I suspect that the title tells us all we need to know, is this a rational assessment of the merits and demerits of all the likely candidates or is she simply pushing Mancetter?
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
Her appendices include the case for each alternative site authored by the promoter of that site, so lots of contributors to alternatives.
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That's interesting. The next question is, Where can I get a copy? The Atherstone Civic Society doesn't seem to be selling it anymore.
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
B.O.W.S.- Please help? I am looking for clues> Why did the Celts not use their Chariots ? Maybe they did not need their best weapons due to the overwhelming numerical advantage and wanted to do it the hard way ? The survivors from London also go to Mancetter or die trying. I got that bit,very popular plan i should imagine. While the Romans run away and escape. Fantastic.I got it now. I can watch it again tonight,more popcorn .
Ian
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Boudicca at Mancetter =sales enquiries to go to www.atherstonecivicsociety.co.uk  from where copies can be posted out at £10 plus £3 p&p. 
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Thanks for that, John. I couldn't find anything relevant on the website but have sent an e-mail to the treasurer to whom requests for books can be sent, so we'll see what happens.
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
(05-09-2020, 04:11 PM)John1 Wrote: Boudicca at Mancetter =sales enquiries to go to www.atherstonecivicsociety.co.uk  from where copies can be posted out at £10 plus £3 p&p. 
     Thanks for that. A new approach always useful.                                                                                                          Are there any other recommended books ,other than The annals of imperial Rome ?
Ian
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(05-09-2020, 06:31 PM)Owein Walker Wrote: Are there any other recommended books...?

I would say that Richard Hingley's Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen remains the best study of the revolt I've yet read. Hingley does opt in a kind of luke-warm way for Mancetter, but his book covers the background to the events very thoroughly.

There's also Nicholas Fuentes's excellent paper Boudicca Revisited (From London Archaeologist 1983). This is the one where he suggests a battle site near Staines. More importantly (I think) he convincingly demolishes the theory that Suetonius Paulinus rode down to London for a quick look around before heading back into the Midlands...
Nathan Ross
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(05-09-2020, 08:17 PM)Nathan Ross Wrote:
(05-09-2020, 06:31 PM)Owein Walker Wrote: Are there any other recommended books...?

I would say that Richard Hingley's Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen remains the best study of the revolt I've yet read. Hingley does opt in a kind of luke-warm way for Mancetter, but his book covers the background to the events very thoroughly.

There's also Nicholas Fuentes's excellent paper Boudicca Revisited (From London Archaeologist 1983). This is the one where he suggests a battle site near Staines. More importantly (I think) he convincingly demolishes the theory that Suetonius Paulinus rode down to London for a quick look around before heading back into the Midlands...
Ian
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Both these definitely add substance to this quest, but, what is the Quest?It seems to rest on Paulinus being "cautious".Having heard of the defeat of the IX ,and at best being uncertain of the whereabouts of the II ,careful would be best.He had to find out what was going on without loosing his troops,this is his dilemma. We know everything else but lose sight of strategy.How could Paulinus stop the chariots ,the biggest threat to his infantry from getting involved?.Answer to this question.How do you stop chariots? What did Gaius Suetonius Paulinus  Know?Now is cautious and careful safe?.!!!  The next topic to flick through is  Movements of Verulamium region potters AD 60-120.This does get a little involved if you double check recorded finds but interesting nonetheless.To summarise, the movement travels both north and  west.West makes a lot of sense "runaway!"However i can see no reason to travel north at the time unless the army protect them.Overlaying the" pathway of destruction" theory would then seem a reasonable next step.The next piece i have made up so health warning. Paulinus was presented with a military and political problem.To summarise .I believe he left most of his army in the midlands,swiftly travelled to London.He saved politically important and wealthy residents and collected more from St Albans , then returned to his army.I doubt he expected to fight far south of the river Nene ,preventing the revolt from spreading.This secured the province and his own political future.I even question if he expected Postumus to support him,this was personal rivalry and everything to play for.If Postumus saves the day that would not have looked so good. And the rest is history
Ian
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Nathan Ross Wrote:I was amused by the claim that although we don't know the site of the battle, "we do know it's called the Battle of Watling Street"... [Image: tongue.png]

I have now steeled myself to watch the programme and can endorse the criticisms made of it. However, with regard to Nathan's quotation, I think that, although slight, the emphasis seemed to be on the word 'called'. Nevertheless, Watling Street was still the centre of the discussion.

A major disappointment was that, although there was filming at Mancetter and Church Stowe, I got no impression of how the topography related to Tacitus' description of the battle site. Not a 'narrow defile' in sight, as far as I could see. What we need is someone with a video camera to go to the proposed sites and pan around, so that we can see how the landscape matches the description.

I have made contact with the treasurer of the Atherstone Civic Society and have ordered Margaret Hughes' book. However, I see that the subtitle is 'The Latin, The Land, The Logistics'. However, if the reference to Latin means that she makes the same bad point about Tacitus' Latin that she seems to make in the programme, it will not do much to enhance the credentials of Mancetter.
Michael King Macdona

And do as adversaries do in law, -
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
(The Taming of the Shrew: Act 1, Scene 2)
Reply
It's getting hard to keep up with the flurry on Boudicca stuff coming out in 2020. Now the Northamptonshire Battlefields Society have waded in with a paperback which does a compare and contrast between the Northamptonshire candidates. This one is available on Amazon;

   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cStsO7QOl0Q

512,818
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