Mons Graupius Contender: Dalginross
Introduction
Dalginross near Comrie in Perthshire – on the edge of Venicone / Caledonii territory was championed by Gordon in 1726, who quaintly stated;
“…in fine…..to an Antiquary this (Dalginross) is a ravishing scene”.
Gordon had the auxiliaries, on the eve of the battle, squeezed into the marching camp there while the cavalry were supposed to have been billeted in the permanent fort. The Legionaries seem to have been a bit of a nuisance, and in light of Gordon’s already creakingly overstretched accommodation were simply overlooked in his account!
Gordon’s account waxes lyrical about the nature of the surrounding hills, but remains frustratingly imprecise about which hill in particular he considered the Caledonians to have occupied nor where the fighting took place.
The camp and fort, although of Flavian date can be discounted of having a place at Mons Graupius, their capacities being far too small.
The hills pose more of a problem. Roman Scotland visited the site in 2007 and 2008 and on both occasions failed to find a suitable site within the Comrie “basin” where the events related by Tacitus could take place.
The site is surrounded menacingly on all sides by hills, and on two sides by the River Earn and the Water of Ruchill. Except for a narrowing fillet of land fronting Barr Dubh the area simply does not have flat ground sufficient for the Romans to deploy nor for the opening phases of the battle to be played out.
A: Campaigning
Is the site located in an area of known Flavian campaigning?
Yes
Is the Flavian activity in the area likely to be Agricolan?
Yes
B: Marching Camps
Is there a marching camp in the vicinity of the site?
Yes
Is the marching camp located close to the site?
Dalginross; on site,
Dornock; 11 km away.
Innerpeffray 1; 12.5 km away.
Innerpeffray 2; 13 km away.
Strageath; 12 km away.
Does the marching camps position and orientation “address” the site?
Dalginross is in a central location surrounded on all sides by hills.
Others; no.
Does the marching camp display Flavian characteristics?
Dalginross and Dornock; yes,
Others; Strageath and Innerpeffray camps display late Roman marching camp morphology and site structural sequence.
Is the size of the marching camp reasonably close to the 117 acre criteria required to accommodate 26,000 men?
No
Dalginross; too small, at 22.3 acres it can accommodate only 5,000 men.
Dornock; too small, at 23.2 acres and can accommodate only 5,100 men,
Innerpeffray 1; too small, at 67.3 acres it can accommodate only 15,000 men,
Innerpeffray 2; too large, at 130.5 acres it can accommodate 29,000 men,
Strageath; too small at 32.4 acres and can accommodate only 7,200 men.
C: Site topography
Is the site of an appropriate size to accommodate the forces engaged?
No
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
The site does not readily relate to the detail of Tacitus account.
None of the surrounding hills except Barr Dhub can be approached without crossing either the River Earn, Water of Ruchill or River Lednock, none of which was mentioned by Tacitus.
The undulating escarpment of the northern flank of Barr Dhub has almost sufficient space for the Romans to form up at its base however its undulating profile does not suit a Caledonian battleline with acute reverse slopes hampering any reasonable arraying of Caledonian forces there.
Does the site have a “plain” at the foot of the hill suitable for the recorded chariot action?
No
Is the hill of an appropriate gradient for:
- The Caledonians to be marshalled and advance down and around? No
- A realistic Roman assault up? To lower slopes only.
Does the countryside behind the Caledonian position have terrain consistent with the actions recorded in the immediate aftermath of the battle?
Yes, broken upland.
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
Doubtful, with wounded it would be a minimum 2 day march along the Earn to 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?
Yes, Horrea in Fife.
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?
Yes, Inchtuthil is sited aggressively – but not too far - in advance of this contending battle site.
D: The Sites Name
Is there evidence in the locality for names from which Mons “Graupius” could be derived?
No
Summary
Exactly where Gordon’s senses were “ravished” remains a mystery, and having walked the area several times we believe that like Fendoch and Antiquarian promoted sites elsewhere the practicalities of suitably accommodating the forces on an appropriate battlefield were simply overlooked by Antiquarians fired with zeal and a misdirected excess of enthusiasm.
We shall return to Dalginross again though, its story is not yet fully told.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Dunning
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
