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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Romans in Scotland and The Battle of Mons Graupiusdi Simon Forder
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In AD 77, Roman forces under Agricola marched into the northern reaches of Britain to pacify the Caledonian tribesman. For seven years, the Romans campaigned across what is now Scotland. In AD 83, they fought the final battle at Mons Graupius, where 10,000 Caledonians were slaughtered with only 360 Roman dead.How much of this is true? The climax of the Agricola is the main source, a near contemporary account of the career of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, governor of Britannia in the reigns of the Emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian, written by his son-in-law Tacitus. This account of a steady advance into northern Britain and sudden withdrawal matched closely the evidence available on the ground, and for many years remained uncritically accepted. Archaeological investigations carried out recently at Roman sites in Scotland and northern England have, however, caused historians to cast a more sceptical eye over Tacitus' account. Author Simon Forder considers the fine print of the Agricola - together with the implications of Ptolemy's Geography - and triangulates these with the very latest archaeological finds to suggest a new narrative, including a new location for the battle itself.Mons Graupius has fascinated historians for centuries, not only because of the uncertainties but also because it marks the withdrawal of Rome from the north: for the Empire, it is the beginning of the end. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)941.101History and Geography Europe British Isles Scotland Early history to 1057VotoMedia:
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The location of the battle and the reliability of Tacitus’ account have long been debated by historians. Author Simon Forder enters the fray with his own interpretation. Forder puts a lot of research effort into identifying Roman campsites; conveniently for modern archaeologists and historians, Roman military units built more-or-less standardized fortified camps along their route. The size and type of camp allows Forder to estimate the size and type of force that used it; he thus deduces the route of Agricola’s force and the site of the battle.
The book seems extremely well researched; Forder visited every site and reviewed archaeological evidence from those formally excavated. The catch is I don’t know enough about the history and archaeology of the area and time period to evaluate this properly. Forder doesn’t advertise any formal academic training or affiliation; that’s not necessarily a bad thing since enthusiastic and competent amateurs have contributed much to the advancement of science – but enthusiastic and incompetent crackpots have contributed much to the detriment of science.
The book also suffers from its cartography. Forder provides quite a few maps, but they are not very well presented. They’re often based on a relief map of a general area – “Roman activity between the Forth and North Esk”, for example – but there are no modern place names allowing somebody with less than advanced knowledge of Scottish geography to figure out what’s going on. Similarly the text references Scottish place names with nothing to help the reader who isn’t an expert on Scottish geography.
There’s a large plate section showing many of the relevant sites, endnotes, and a bibliography. I was initially put off to find many of the references were web pages, but this seems to be justified here since Historic Environment Scotland documents sites this way; it’s probably more convenient than endless little pamphlets.
Oh, and the Battle of Mons Graupius? Near Moncrieffe Hill. And there’s a map of Moncrieff Hill and Environs, with Roman-era features indicated. But once again no help for the non-Scotsman as to where Moncrieffe Hill is. ( )