Suetonius Battle Analysis
When Suetonius rapidly retreated from London, he was vulnerable to attack and his primary mission was to secure reinforcements for his own small force (Fraser 92). It is important to note that many of the specifics of the battle are at times unclear. There are accounts from two Roman historians (Dio and Tacitus) from the first century, which are inconsistent at times. They likely represented the battle from a biased Roman perspective and there is limited archaeological evidence to dispute their claims. An estimate of the number of united British rebels was approximately 230,000 by this time, but this is assumed an exaggeration by multiple contemporary reviews. Mustering a meager force of 10,000 Roman soldiers in total with the XIV Legion,
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She drove her chariot with her daughters amongst the ranks of her army exclaiming, “win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do- let the men live in slavery if they will!” Her chariots opened the day’s battle by rushing back and forth, the warriors onboard shouting insults at the Roman soldiers and launching missiles towards them. Next were Boudicca’s war bands, which rushed up the narrowing defile. It is important to note that the Britons had to do all the running up the steep slope while the Romans stood silent and fast at the top of the hill (fields 75). They expected to easily slice the outnumbered enemy into pieces, but they were unnoticeably channeled into a tight pack (). The Romans had two great advantages on their side, they were much more skilled in the tactics and arts of battle and they also had the position on the defensive. Roman soldiers were accustomed to defending themselves while attacking fortified positions by forming up in a tight phalanx formation, the men positioned shoulder to shoulder, their shields creating one great continuous shield, a mobile walled fortification. Boudicca’s spear throwers, hurling their weapons uphill, were wholly ineffective. The spears that made contact with the Roman force bounced harmlessly off the impenetrable shield barrier. When Suetonius calculated that the first few waves of
She drove her chariot with her daughters amongst the ranks of her army exclaiming, “win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do- let the men live in slavery if they will!” Her chariots opened the day’s battle by rushing back and forth, the warriors onboard shouting insults at the Roman soldiers and launching missiles towards them. Next were Boudicca’s war bands, which rushed up the narrowing defile. It is important to note that the Britons had to do all the running up the steep slope while the Romans stood silent and fast at the top of the hill (fields 75). They expected to easily slice the outnumbered enemy into pieces, but they were unnoticeably channeled into a tight pack (). The Romans had two great advantages on their side, they were much more skilled in the tactics and arts of battle and they also had the position on the defensive. Roman soldiers were accustomed to defending themselves while attacking fortified positions by forming up in a tight phalanx formation, the men positioned shoulder to shoulder, their shields creating one great continuous shield, a mobile walled fortification. Boudicca’s spear throwers, hurling their weapons uphill, were wholly ineffective. The spears that made contact with the Roman force bounced harmlessly off the impenetrable shield barrier. When Suetonius calculated that the first few waves of