Septimius Severus: First Hammer of the Scots

[OC Richard]

Now I'm re-reading

Roman Britain

by Patricia Southern (2011)

It's interesting to read about the Romans' first incursion into Scotland.

It was the natural progression of the invasion of Britain in 43 AD, with the three Legions fanning out to the southwest, west, and north.

It wasn't until Wales was finally subjugated in 77 AD that Roman attention could be directed further north. Governer Julius Agricola, after pacifying the Pennines, headed into Scotland in 78 or 79 AD.

The timing of his seven seasons in Scotland and exactly where he went are unclear, except that he crossed the Tay in the third season. Evidently the fourth season was spent consolidating gains and building a string of forts along the Gask Ridge.

His fifth season was possibly spent in the west, occupying Strathclyde and building a string of forts along the Clyde-Forth line. Agricola's army was said to have reached a place where Scotland faces Ireland, and he considered invading the latter.

The sixth season was spent in the east, working his way north in co-operation with the Roman fleet which was raiding and harassing the natives.

Up until this time "the people of Caledonia" didn't risk engaging the Romans in battle, but retreated to the hills as the Romans advanced. However at some point the tribes began gathering in large numbers "and began arming themselves". When the natives acquired the intelligence that one of the three separated Roman columns was understrength they launched a night attack on the Roman camp. The Romans were hard-pressed but in the nick of time a relief column arrived and the natives, trapped between two Roman forces, retreated back into the mountains.

Agricola's seventh and last campaigning season started by pushing further north. The tribes were prepared this time. They had formed alliances and chosen a commander-in-chief named Calgacus (the Swordsman). When the Romans arrived at the place they called Mons Graupius the 30,000 man Caledonian army was waiting.

This was to be the first, and last, time that the Caledonian tribes formed up for battle in the open against the Romans. Agricola kept his Legions in reserve and advanced his Tungrian and Batavian auxiliaries. While these pinned down the Caledonian force from the front Roman cavalry attacked from the side and rear, resulting in a rout and slaughter of many of the tribesmen while the rest melted into the hills.

It being near the end of the campaigning season Agricola didn't pursue, but leisurely withdrew south into winter quarters.

Almost as soon as Agricola began consolidating his gains he was ordered to withdraw and to send much of his army to the Danube, due to the Dacians invading the Roman province of Moesia and defeating two Roman armies. The Roman forts north of the Clyde-Forth line were carefully demolished, anything of value buried or hauled away. Perdomita Britannia, statim missa.

The trouble about the great Battle of Mons Graupius is that we don't know where Mons Graupius was. The Romans spoke of being in the far north and of conquering "the whole island" of Britain but this is almost certainly not true.

The furthest-north Roman camps known are those between Elgin and Peterhead, the one at Auchinhove being dated to the right period and large enough to have held a large Roman force.

A line of Roman camps can be traced up the east coast to Aberdeen and from there through Inverurie and Huntly to a cluster of forts at Burnfield, Muryfold, Auchinhove, and ending at Bellie, the furthest-north known Roman camp AFAIK.

Is that where the Battle of Mons Graupius was fought?

The Romans did reach a northern coast of sorts, but certainly they could have looked across the Moray Firth and seen that they hadn't conquered "the whole island".