Mons Graupius Contender: Monifieth
Introduction
Roman Scotland identified the site in 2008 while following philological investigation that led to quite promising results at Moncreiffe Hill and Knock of Crieff.
The further rendition of "fieth" from "Crieff" from the original Croup may seem one change in consonant too far however phonetics may have developed further in the intervening centuries so it was considered best to visit the area and determine if anything in the lie of the land substantiated the possibility.
Rather interestingly, modern Monifieth (varies around +30m OD) on the mouth of the Tay estuary is dominated to its north by Laws Hill near Drumsturdy (+120m OD) which in itself is crowned by a small but powerfully sited hillfort and broch.
The suitability of the broad plain below is eminently apparent when viewed from the hills upper slopes and a battle on the hills southern flank was considered.
While checking references on the map and discussing these with the local farmer it became apparent that features to the west of the Laws Hill site - the "Roman Hill" and "Roman Woods" – have, locally at least, associations of interest in the search (RCAHMS have no data concerning these). Therefore an alternative orientation from Laws Hill facing east to these "Roman" sites was also considered.
A: Campaigning
Is the site located in an area of known Flavian campaigning?
No, there is currently no evidence of Flavian campaigning along the Carse of Gowrie.
Is the Flavian activity in the area likely to be Agricolan?
N/A
B: Marching Camps
Is there a marching camp in the vicinity of the site?
Yes,
Tradition of "Roman woods" and "Roman Hill" adjacent to the site,
Gagie marching camp,
Muir of Lour / Kirkbuddo marching camp,
Invergowrie marching camp.
Is the marching camp located close to the site?
No,
Roman woods and Roman Hill (speculative only) is located adjacent to the site.
Gagie; 4.5 km away
Muir of Lour / Kirkbuddo; 8 km away
Invergowrie; 15 km away.
Does the marching camps position and orientation "address" the site?
Roman Hill; Possibly
Gagie; Possibly
Muir of Lour / Kirkbuddo; yes, on its short axis
Invergowrie; no
Does the marching camp display Flavian characteristics?
Gagie; unlikely
Muir of Lour / Kirkbuddo; no, late Roman marching camp morphology.
Invergowrie; no, late Roman marching camp morphology.
Is the size of the marching camp reasonably close to the 117 acre criteria required to accommodate 26,000 men?
No,
Gagie; at between 3.7 to 10 acres (estimated) size, it can accommodate between only 800 and 2,200 men.
Muir of Lour / Kirkbuddo; at 60.1 acres it can only accommodate 13,300 men.
Invergowrie; at 29.7 acres it can accommodate only 6,600 men.
C: Site topography
Is the site of an appropriate size to accommodate the forces engaged?
No. At its widest a frontage of almost 2km is available on the south face of Laws of Monifieth.
To the west facing Roman Hill the frontage is further reduced to around 1.5km.
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
No
Does the site have a "plain" at the foot of the hill suitable for the recorded chariot action?
Yes
Is the hill of an appropriate gradient for:
- The Caledonians to be marshalled and advance down and around? Yes
- A realistic Roman assault up? Yes
Does the countryside behind the Caledonian position have terrain consistent with the actions recorded in the immediate aftermath of the battle?
No, low lying farmland setting.
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
No, immediate access is available on the Tay.
Is the likely point of contact with the fleet consistent with the broad strategy and location of the Roman fleet on the east coast?
Yes
Can the "Boresti" be identified locally?
No
Are there known marching camps which hint at Agricola’s movements after leaving the site of battle?
No
Is the sites location consistent with the position chosen the following year for the siting of the legionary fortress of Inchtuthil?
No
D: The Sites Name
Is there evidence in the locality for names from which Mons "Graupius" could be derived?
Possibly. The name of the site is superficially similar to Moncreiffe - see Moncreiffe Hill and Gask Ridge contenders. It is however not a strong link.
Summary
Monifieth as previously mentioned is probably a "consonant change too far" as it secures only 8 appropriate answers out of a possible 19, rating the site as "highly unlikely".
It is an object lesson that leads should be followed up though in the quest to identify Mons Graupius, while also recognising how powerful our 19 questions (based on our four factors) are at sorting a sites credentials out.
In the past the "Roman" connection or association would have been enough – coupled with the hillfort and broch – for antiquarians to hail the site as the definitive site of the battle.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Mormond Hill
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
