Battle of Mons Graupius

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Battle of Mons Graupius
Part of Roman conquest of Britain
DateAD 83 (or 84)
Location
North-east Scotland[1]
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Empire
Caledonian Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
Agricola Calgacus
Strength
17,000-30,000+ 15,000-30,000+
Casualties and losses
360 dead 10,000 dead

The Battle of Mons Graupius was, according to

AD
83 or, less probably, 84. The exact location of the battle is a matter of debate. Historians have long questioned some details of Tacitus's account of the fight, suggesting that he exaggerated Roman success.

Background

Roman governor and Tacitus's father-in-law, had sent his fleet ahead to panic the Caledonians, and, with light infantry reinforced with British auxiliaries
, reached the site, which he found occupied by the enemy.

Even though the Romans were outnumbered in their campaign against the tribes of

granaries
of the Caledonians, just as they had been filled from the harvest. The Caledonians had no choice but to fight or starve over the next winter.

Location

The Battle of Mons Graupius has been a constant motif in the study of

Roman Scotland.[2][3] In the 19th century, it was identified with almost every principal Roman site in Perth and Kinross from Dalginross to Blairgowrie.[4] With the advent of aerial photography and the interpretation of crop markings in the 20th century, the focus has moved to the north-east and a series of marching camps en route to the Moray coast. This has given rise to the belief that the battle occurred in Aberdeenshire at the foot of Bennachie, a very distinctive hill just south of a large marching camp at Logie Durno.[5]

Considerable debate and analysis have been conducted regarding the battle location, with the locus of most of these sites spanning

Roman Camp
.

Those sites in Aberdeenshire fit the historical descriptions of Tacitus and have also yielded

trackway used by Romans and Caledonians for military manoeuvres.[10] Bennachie in Aberdeenshire, the Gask Ridge not far from Perth, and Sutherland have also been suggested.[11][12][13]

Historic Environment Scotland noted the uncertainty of the location as the reason for its exclusion from the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland.[14]

Battle

According to Tacitus, 8,000

chariotry
charged about on the level plain between the two armies.

After a brief exchange of missiles, Agricola ordered auxiliaries to launch a frontal attack on the enemy. These were based around four cohorts of

outflanking movement
but were themselves outflanked by Roman cavalry. The Caledonians were then comprehensively routed and fled for the shelter of nearby woodland, but were relentlessly pursued by well-organised Roman units.

It is said that the Roman Legions took no part in the battle, being held in reserve throughout. According to Tacitus, 10,000 Caledonian people died at a cost of only 360 auxiliary troops. 20,000 Caledonians retreated into the woods, where they fared considerably better against pursuing forces. Roman scouts were unable to locate the remaining Caledonian forces the next morning.

Criticisms of Tacitus's account

The decisive victory reported by Tacitus has been criticized by some historians, however, who believe no engagement occurred. One author has suggested that the emperor Domitian may have been informed of the fraudulence of Agricola's claims to have won a significant victory.[20][21] Despite these claims, Agricola was awarded triumphal honours and was offered another governorship in a different part of the empire, so it would seem unlikely Domitian doubted he had achieved substantial successes. Suggestions that he invented the entire episode and was thereafter shunned by the emperor do not seem likely, given that he was awarded honours on his return.

Aftermath

Following this final battle, it was proclaimed that Agricola had finally subdued all the tribes of Britain. Soon afterwards he was recalled to Rome, and his post passed to Sallustius Lucullus. It is likely that Rome intended to continue the conflict, but that military requirements elsewhere in the empire necessitated a troop withdrawal and the opportunity was lost.

Tacitus' statement in his account of Roman history between 68 AD and 98 AD: Perdomita Britannia et statim missa (Britain was completely conquered and immediately let go), denotes his bitter disapproval of Domitian's failure to unify the whole island under Roman rule after Agricola's successful campaign.[22]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0
    .
  2. ^ William Roy, The Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain, 1793
  3. ^ Gabriel Jacques Surenne, 1823 Correspondence to Sir Walter Scott
  4. ^ On the battle's location, see Duncan B. Campbell, "Search for a lost battlefield", Ancient Warfare Vol. 8 issue 1 (2014), pp. 47-51.
  5. ^ J. Joseph. The Camp at Durno, Aberdeenshire, and the site of Mons Graupius. Britannia, 9, 271-287 (1978); Peter Salway. Roman Britain Oxford: Oxford University Press (1981); Duncan B. Campbell, Mons Graupius AD 83, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.
  6. ^ On the battle's location, see Duncan B. Campbell, "Search for a lost battlefield", Ancient Warfare Vol. 8 issue 1 (2014), pp. 47-51.
  7. ^ William Roy, The Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain, 1793
  8. ^ Gabriel Jacques Surenne, 1823 Correspondence to Sir Walter Scott
  9. ^ Archibald Watt, Highways and byways around Kincardineshire, Stonehaven Heritage Soc., Scotland
  10. ^ a b C. Michael Hogan, Elsick Mounth, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham. [1]
  11. ^ Duncan B. Campbell, Mons Graupius AD 83, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.
  12. ^ Wolfson, Stan (2002) "The Boresti; The Creation of a Myth" Tacitus, Thule and Caledonia. Tiscali.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  13. ^ "Mons Graupius Identified" romanscotland.org.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Inventory of Historic Battlefields Research Report: Mons Graupius" (PDF). Historic Environment Scotland. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  15. ^ Duncan B. Campbell, Mons Graupius AD 83, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010
  16. ISBN 978-0-7486-1736-4 p.204 [2]
  17. ^ A temporary camp at Durno (20m or 32km NW of Aberdeen) covered 144 acres (60ha) and could have held 24,000 men. Roger J.A. Wilson A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain 2002 Constable, London
  18. ISBN 978-0-415-00804-4
    pp.8, 169
  19. ISBN 978-0752430447
    p.217
  20. ^ Henig, Martin (September 1998) "Togidubnus and the Roman liberation" Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine British Archaeology 37. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  21. ^ Now refuted by Duncan B. Campbell, Mons Graupius AD 83, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.
  22. ISBN 0-7102-1215-1

Further reading

  • James E. Fraser, The Roman Conquest Of Scotland: The Battle Of Mons Graupius AD 84
  • Duncan B. Campbell, Mons Graupius AD 83, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.
  • A.J. Woodman (with C. Kraus), Tacitus: Agricola, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
  • Duncan B. Campbell, 'A note on the Battle of Mons Graupius', Classical Quarterly 65 (2015), pp. 407–410.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Mons_Graupius&oldid=1217872616"