Rome Against Caratacus: The Roman Campaigns in Britain AD 48-58 (Roman Conquest of Britain)

200 Pages·1993·3.49 MB·English

by  Graham Webster

ROME
AGAINST CARATACUS

The Roman Campaigns in Britain
AD 48–58

ROME
AGAINST CARATACUS

The Roman Campaigns in Britain
AD 48–58

B. T. BATSFORD LTD LONDON
To George Counsell Boon
in gratitude for many years of help and friendship

© Graham Webster 1981

First published 1981
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.
Revised edition 1993
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, in any form or by any means,
without permission from the Publisher

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Webster, Graham
Rome against Caratacus.
1. Great Britain—History—Roman period,
55 B.C.–449A.D.
2. Great Britain—Politics and government—
to 1485
I. Title
936.2’04 DA 145

Cover illustration: Mansell Collection

ISBN 0-203-48110-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-78934-2 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0 7134 7254 5 (Print Edition)
Contents

Acknowledgments 6
List of plates 7
List of line illustrations 8
Preface 10
Preface to revised edition 10
Historical Chart 12
1 Introduction 13
2 The Last Stand of Caratacus 28
3 The Scapulan Frontier: The Legionary Fortresses and the Sea Routes 40
4 The Scapulan Frontier: The Land Routes 61
5 Aulus Didius Gallus and the Northern Advance 87
6 The Advance under Quintus Veranius 104
APPENDICES
1 Translation of the relevant texts from Tacitus, Dio and Suetonius (by Mary Beard
and Chloe Chard) 119
2 Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus (by Professor A.Barrett) 124
3 The Roman Army at the time of Claudius 131
4 The Seven Sisters Hoard 135
5 Four Tombstones from Wroxeter 136
6 Place-names in Roman and modern forms 137
7 Glossary of Latin Terms 141
8 Glossary of Technical Terms 144
Notes and References 147
Index 170

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Acknowledgments

The Author and Publisher wish to thank the following for permission to reproduce
photographs and plans appearing in the book:
Mr Arnold Baker for pl. 5, 6, 11, 13 and 15
The Committee for Aerial Photography, University of Cambridge for pl. 14, 16, 17, 21
and 22
Dr Kevin Greene for fig 38
Dr W.Manning for allowing me to adapt fig 3
The National Museum for Wales for pl. 1 and 2
Professor W.Ravenhall for fig 35
The West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council for pl. 19

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The Plates

Between pages 62 and 63
1 Coin of Caratacus: obverse
2 Coin of Caratacus: reverse
3 The testudo, as shown on Trajan’s Column
4 A forage party, from Trajan’s Column
5 Route 39, through the Church Stretton Gap
6 The auxiliary fort at Wroxeter, at the river crossing south of the Roman
legionary and civil site
7 Bust of Mercury from the fort at Waddon Hill
8 Post-pit from one of the gate timbers of the fort at Waddon Hill
9 Cornelian intaglio from an iron ring from the Waddon Hill fort, showing
Ajax with the body of Achilles (diam. 10mm)
10 Blue glass intaglio from the Waddon Hill fort, with symbols favoured by
soldiers: the palm of victory, club of Hercules, corn-ear of Ceres and rudder
of Fortune (10×11mm)
11 Fort on the high ground overlooking Alcester
12 Metchley: the north-east post-hold of the corner tower
13 One of the forts at Greensforge
14 Fort at Pennocrucium, showing also a medieval field with the marks of a
swing plough
15 Fort at Stretton Grandison
16 Crop-marks of the military sites at Rhyn Park, Shropshire (No 170)
17 ‘Vexillation’ fort at Newton-on-Trent, Lincolnshire (No 180)
18 ‘Vexillation’ fort at Rossington Bridge, Yorkshire (No 182)
19 Air photograph of Barwick-in-Elmet (HF 3)
20 Sketch of motte-and-bailey castle at Barwick-in-Ermet
21 Fort at Llwyn-y-Brain
22 Fort at Clyro (No 210)
23–4 Military tombstones from Wroxeter
25–6 Military tombstones from Wroxeter

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Line Illustrations

page
1 The tribes of Wales and place-names given by Ptolemy 18
2 Suggested sites of military establishments in the Scapulan period. 43
(Not all the forts would necessarily have been occupied at the same
time)
3 Military sites at Gloucester 44
4 Plan of the known buildings in the fortress at Exeter (after Paul 46
Bidwell)
5 Apron-mount decorated with enamels from Exeter (full size) 47
6 Plan of the military features of Mancetter 48
7 Plan of the area round Wroxeter 51
8 Small bronze belt-mount from Wroxeter (full size) 52
9 Decorated belt-mount from Wroxeter (full size) 52
10 Bronze pendant of a horse harness from Wroxeter (full size) 52
11 Two scales of a cuirass from Wroxeter (full size) 52
12 The legionary fortress at Wroxeter facing 52
13 A rationalised plan of the military buildings at Wroxeter facing 53
14 A plan of the military structures in the sw corner of the baths facing 53
insula
15 Baldric-clip from Sea Mills (full size) 54
16 Map of the military sites of the Scapulan advance in the south- 56
western peninsula
17 Plan of the surviving buildings of the fort at Waddon Hill, Dorset 58
18 Scabbard guard from Waddon Hill (full size) 60
19 Cuirass-hinge from Waddon Hill (full size) 60
20 Silver scabbard-mount from Waddon Hill (full size) 60
21 Belt-hinge from Waddon Hill (full size) 60
22 Suggested military routes of the campaigns under Scapula, Gallus 62
and Veranius
23 Map of the military sites of the advance to the west under Scapula 64
24 Plan of the Metchley forts (after T.Rowley) 66
25 Metchley: western site, Phase A (after T.Rowley) 67
26 Metchley: western site, Phase C (after T.Rowley) 68
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
27 Metchley, Camp Cottages site: plan of Phase A buildings (after T. 69
Rowley)
28 Metchley, Camp Cottages site: plan of surviving Phase C buildings 70
and defences (after T.Rowley)
29 Leaf-pendant of a horse harness from Kenchester (full size) 74
30–1 Bronze tags with punched letters of the names of centurions from 76
Wall (full size)
32 Map of the forts at Pennocrucium (after Professor J.K. St Joseph) 77
33 Baldric-mount with eyelet from Greensforge (full size) 83
34 Bronze pendant, decorated with niello inlay, from a horse harness 83
from Greensforge (full size)
35 Plan of the Nanstallon Fort 86
36 Map of the military sites of the advance to the north under Gallus 90
37 Map of the military sites of the advance into Wales under Veranius 106
38 Lyon Ware: distribution in Britain 109
39 Plan of the Usk fortress, showing stippled excavated areas 110
40 Two excavated areas of the Usk fortress (after Dr W.Manning) 111

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