Mons Graupius Contender: Culloden
Introduction
Many antiquaries drew, and even now some of Scotland’s current historical institutions continue to draw analogy between Mons Graupius and the fateful Jacobite battle at Culloden in 1746 close to the Moray Firth near Inverness.
Here they envisage(d) tribal / highland armies being overwhelmed under similar circumstances by more organised and disciplined lowland forces.
In so identifying a common cause with the site where the Jacobites turned at bay in 1746 reliance is usually placed on what unfortunately is the least reliable element of Tacitus’s “The Agricola”; the pre battle speeches.
These speeches, undoubted pieces of literary invention, were inserted in the work as a piece of ancient convention, all aimed to spice up the tale. They have Agricola “chasing down” the last of the free tribes, a sentiment post Jacobite commentators empathised with, it was to all intents what the Government forces had done since crossing the Spey in 1746.
A: Campaigning
Is the site located in an area of known Flavian campaigning?
Possibly, a fort has been suggested at Easter Galcantray near Cawdor.
Is the Flavian activity in the area likely to be Agricolan?
No, activity so far north is isolated. Easter Galcantray could possibly be the terminal destination of Lucullus circa 30 acre string of camps.
B: Marching Camps
Is there a marching camp in the vicinity of the site?
No
Is the marching camp located close to the site?
N/A
Does the marching camps position and orientation “address” the site?
N/A
Does the marching camp display Flavian characteristics?
N/A
Is the size of the marching camp reasonably close to the 117 acre criteria required to accommodate 26,000 men?
N/A
C: Site topography
Is the site of an appropriate size to accommodate the forces engaged?
No, too large. It is an expansive and fairly flat moorland with no real size constraints.
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
The site and its immediate environs lacks a hill.
Does the site have a “plain” at the foot of the hill suitable for the recorded chariot action?
The moorland is relatively flat.
Is the hill of an appropriate gradient for:
- The Caledonians to be marshalled and advance down and around? N/A
- A realistic Roman assault up? N/A
Does the countryside behind the Caledonian position have terrain consistent with the actions recorded in the immediate aftermath of the battle?
No
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
Marching on to the Moray Firth would be considered a widening of operations.
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?
Yes, similarities with the name of the Moray town of Forres have been suggested.
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, siting Inchtuthil so far to the south of the scene of victory on the field does not sit convincingly.
D: The Sites Name
Is there evidence in the locality for names from which Mons “Graupius” could be derived?
No
Summary
Unfortunately sites so far to the north suffer – based on our current knowledge – from only the most intangible of Flavian remains and these - due to their small size - post date the turbulent events of 83 AD.
No securely datable remains of Flavian marching camps of sufficient size are known extending through Moray to the Moray Firth.
Of exceptional interest in defining the probable limits of Roman Imperium in the north are the recent findings at the tribal foundry recently unearthed at Culduthel farm near Inverness (link to Iron masters of the Caledonians).
This shows that the site appears to have prospered through this period, not an outcome we would expect for what appears to have been a tribal arms production centre if the fateful show-down with the Romans took place a mere few miles away.
Persistent attempts to build a link between Rome’s attempts to conquer the tribes of Scotland and the 18th C British Government’s attempts to impose control of the Highland zone following the “45” through the creation of roads, bridges and forts is more imagined than real.
Culloden, at only 3.5 appropriate answers out of a possible 19 rates as being “not worth serious consideration”, a verdict some of the historic institutions in Scotland currently whimsically suggesting a site for Mons Graupius “somewhere near Inverness or even beyond” should now take seriously on board.
Ultimately Culloden’s historic inclusion as a contender is an example of how an academic analogy can just be taken too far. The site itself certainly bears no resemblance to the battlefields description by Tacitus.
Critically it even lacks an appropriate hill (unless we re-orientate the field to the low escarpment at Balloch below Culloden Muir), a factor which to date has been little considered.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Dalginross
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
