Calgacus: Recorded

 Calgacus: Recorded






Tacitus dramatises the battle of Mons Graupius with the address to his army by the Caledonian general Calgacus.

 His name means The Swordsman, and he is the first native of Scotland whose name has been recorded.

"We are the last people on earth and the last to be free. Our very remoteness in a land known only by rumour has protected us up till this day.
"Today the furthest bounds of Britain lie open and everything unknown is given an inflated worth. But now there are no people beyond us, nothing but tides and rocks and, more deadly than these, the Romans.
"It is no use trying to escape by submission or good behaviour. They have pillaged the world: when the land has nothing left for men who ravage everything, they scour the sea. If an enemy is rich, they are greedy, if he is poor, they crave glory.
"Neither East nor West can sate their appetite. They are the only people on earth to covet wealth and poverty with equal craving. They plunder, they butcher, they ravish. They make a desert and call it peace."



Tacitus states that Gnaeus Julius Agricola, who was the Roman governor and Tacitus's father-in-law, had sent his fleet ahead to panic the Caledonians, and, with light infantry reinforced with British auxiliaries, reached the site, which he found occupied by the enemy.
Even though the Romans were outnumbered in their campaign against the tribes of Britain, they often had difficulties in getting their foes to face them in open battle.
The Caledonii were the last unconquered British tribe (and were never fully subdued). After many years of avoiding the fight, the Caledonians were forced to battle when the Romans marched on the main granaries of the Caledonians, just as they had been filled from the harvest. The Caledonians had no choice but to fight or starve over the next winter.
The Caledoniii (Latin: Caledones), or Caledonian Confederacy, is a name given by historians to a group of indigenous peoples of what is now Scotland during the Iron Age and Roman eras. The Romans referred to their territory as Caledonia and initially included them as Britons, but later distinguished as the Picts.

Comments

  1. Vronsky22 January 2022 at 01:41

    The exact location of Mons Graupius has never been agreed as far as I know. Any thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clem Fandango22 January 2022 at 02:40

      I agree. I live in hope that we do uncover the location. So many places have been considered, but none appear to be on the money.

      Delete

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