Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60 (The Roman Conquest of Britain)

First published I978 by B.T. Batsford Ltd. Revised edition 1993. Reprinted 1999, 2003, 2004 by Routledge. The Queen, who is known to most as Boadicea, has a place of her own in the ill-assorted pageant of folk heroes and heroines which passes in the popular mind for the history of Britain. Yet she was unknown to the medieval historians like Geoffrey of Monmouth, since they had no knowledge of the works of the Roman historian Tacitus. So the legendary figures of Bladud, King Lucius and Old King Cole held the field until the early sixteenth century. By then the manuscripts of Tacitus had been found by Boccacio in the neglected library of Monte Cassino and published in Italy. With so much new and authentic information about the early history of Britain, Polydore Virgil was able in 1534 to demolish the fanciful legends of medieval creation and set the period on a firm foundation of fact. In spite of this there were many British 'patriots' who vigorously defended the old stories and they made some headway in attacking Polydore Virgil's serious topographic errors. The Plates Maps and Diagrams Acknowledgements Preface Preface to the revised edition Introduction 1. Sources ANCIENT HISTORIANS THE CONTRIBUTION OF ARCHAEOLOGY AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE 2. The Opposing Forces and the State of Britain 54 BC THE ROMAN ARMY THE BRITONS The evidence of Gallic and British coins GALLIC REFUGEES The evidence of pottery CAESAR'S EXPEDITIONS TO BRITAIN COMMIUS OF THE ATREBATES 3. Britain between the Invasions 54 BC–AD 43 CUNOBELINUS CAMULODUNUM THE ATREBATES THE ICENI POST-AUGUSTUS POLICIES AND TRADE THE DEATH OF CUNOBELINUS AND ITS AFTERMATH 4. The Conquest of AD 43 THE CAMPAIGN OF AULUS PLAUTIUS THE RAIDS OF CARATACUS THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CARATACUS THE DRUIDS THE ACCESSION OF NERO AND THE ADVANCE INTO WALES 5. The Storm Breaks AD 6o THE CAUSES OF THE REVOLT THE UPRISING AND DESTRUCTION OF CAMULODUNUM THE SACK OF LONDON AND VERULAMIUM ROMAN REVENGE THE AFTERMATH 6. The Evidence from the Ground IN THE TERRITORY OF THE ICENI Celtic and Roman military equipment The military dispositions after the Battle THE LUNT AT BAGINTON, NEAR COVENTRY MANCETTER: THE SITE OF THE BATTLE? 7. The Trail of Destruction THE DESTRUCTION OF CAMULODUNUM THE TEMPLE OF CLAUDIUS THE DESTRUCTION OF LONDON VERULAMIUM THE BRONZE HEAD OF CLAUDIUS THE HOCKWOLD TREASURE THE HAWKEDON HELMET THE TOMBSTONE OF CLASSICIANUS Epilogue References Short Bibliography Glossary of Latin Terms and Words (plural ending in brackets) Index

Queen Boudica, leader of the Iceni, revolted against the Romans in AD60 only to have her efforts avenged by a humiliated Roman army. This lively and fascinating book examines in detail the evidence and theories which surround these events.

When Queen Victoria travelled on her exciting tour of northern Scotland in 1872, she found many roads decked with triumphal arches bearing messages in Gaelic AR BUIDHEACHAS DO'N BHUADHAICH - 'To Victoria, our gratitude'.