03-25-2017, 09:23 PM
Nathan Ross wrote:
I don't think we can tell, as we cannot disentangle literary rhetoric from historical fact. All we know is the revolt (probably!) happened, and that its scale was sufficiently great to imply a real and deeply-felt cause.
I don't think that there has ever been a satisfactory explanation of why Rome so misjudged the situation, not so much from the point of taking over the Iceni lands but that they were so unaware of a possible revolt on the huge scale that happened.
Obviously the Iceni and Trinovantes were involved but the contemporary reports suggest a number of other tribes who together were well armed enough to defeat part of the Ninth and to totally destroy Colchester and worry SP enough for him to withdraw a force that in theory had just defeated the tribes in Anglesey minus any garrisons left behind, unless you postulate the dash to the capital by SP leaving the main army on the road.
It seems unlikely that it was just a rabble because a well drilled and well armed legion (the Fourteenth) should have made mincemeat of them. In fact it would seem that no legion was in fact beaten by the Brythons in organised battle unless they were in transit or on food gathering missions.
So what is the explanation?
I don't think we can tell, as we cannot disentangle literary rhetoric from historical fact. All we know is the revolt (probably!) happened, and that its scale was sufficiently great to imply a real and deeply-felt cause.
I don't think that there has ever been a satisfactory explanation of why Rome so misjudged the situation, not so much from the point of taking over the Iceni lands but that they were so unaware of a possible revolt on the huge scale that happened.
Obviously the Iceni and Trinovantes were involved but the contemporary reports suggest a number of other tribes who together were well armed enough to defeat part of the Ninth and to totally destroy Colchester and worry SP enough for him to withdraw a force that in theory had just defeated the tribes in Anglesey minus any garrisons left behind, unless you postulate the dash to the capital by SP leaving the main army on the road.
It seems unlikely that it was just a rabble because a well drilled and well armed legion (the Fourteenth) should have made mincemeat of them. In fact it would seem that no legion was in fact beaten by the Brythons in organised battle unless they were in transit or on food gathering missions.
So what is the explanation?
Deryk
