Mons Graupius Contender: Gask Ridge
Introduction
Fraser’s excellent publication; The Roman Conquest of Scotland, The Battle of Mons Graupius identified the Gask Ridge as a contending site in 2005.
He identified the camp at Dunning as being Agricola’s base prior to advancing across the River Earn and assaulting a suggested Caledonian position on the rolling Gask Ridge escarpment immediately behind.
In justification of a site located on the Gask Ridge – a site of both proven Flavian as well as several phases of later Roman activity – Fraser borrowed the philological rendering of Moncreiffe Hill at Perth – Monid Croib – some miles distant to this escarpment.
Fraser’s site, involves a riverine assault across the Earn to the east of Innerdunning on low haughland (circa +10m OD) leading up to the concave heights of the Cairnie Braes (circa +130m OD) behind.
Fraser’s is a seminal work on the motivations and political pressures surrounding and influencing Agricola’s actions and is a highly recommended read.
Roman Scotland visited the site in 2008. Sufficiently concerned with the topography of the proposed section of the Gask Ridge we propose after close examination of the ground an alternative Gask Ridge site, close by on more practical ground to the west of Dalreoch Bridge centred on Hilton of Gask (Circa +20m OD rising to circa +100m OD).
This allows more practical gradients and sufficient space free of the course of the River Earn – even if its course has meandered over the years as Fraser suggests – for the plain at the foot of the hill mentioned by Tacitus which is conspicuously absent below the Cairnie Braes.
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, Forteviot (adjacent), Dunning (3.5km) and Innerpeffray (6km)
Is the marching camp located close to the site?
Dunning; No
Forteviot; Yes
Innerpeffray; No
Does the marching camps position and orientation "address" the site?
Dunning; Yes
Forteviot; Yes
Innerpeffray; No
Does the marching camp display Flavian characteristics?
Dunning; Yes
Forteviot; No, camp displays late Roman marching camp morphology.
Innerpeffray; No, camp displays late Roman marching camp morphology and structural sequence on its site.
Is the size of the marching camp reasonably close to the 117 acre criteria required to accommodate 26,000 men?
Dunning; Yes, 116.3 acres accommodates 25,800 men.
Forteviot; No, 63.3 acres accommodates only 14,000 men
Innerpeffray; No, 130.5 acres accommodating 29,000 men and is too large.
C: Site topography
Is the site of an appropriate size to accommodate the forces engaged?
No. Fraser’s suggested battlefront extends beyond 3.5km and is centred on Drum of Garvock. The site however could easily accommodate a battleline considerably longer with the Roman left flank still remaining uncovered as the Gask ridge to the west is a long escarpment.
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
Yes. The River Earn, a considerable and noteworthy obstacle flows at the foot of the Gask Ridge. The river hereabouts has cut steep embankments that would not allow general fording simultaneously across an army’s broad frontage.
Does the site have a "plain" at the foot of the hill suitable for the recorded chariot action?
No. The River Earn may have changed course slightly over the years but in general terms it does not allow a plain of sufficient size on the identified site. Better level ground is available on the plain west of Dalreoch Bridge either before or after the Earn is crossed.
Is the hill of an appropriate gradient for:
- The Caledonians to be marshalled and advance down and around? Cairnie Braes, especially at Wester Cairnie is quite steep. More suitable gradients are available to the west of Dalreoch Bridge.
- A realistic Roman assault up? As above
Does the countryside behind the Caledonian position have terrain consistent with the actions recorded in the immediate aftermath of the battle?
No, the land to the immediate rear of the Gask Ridge is fairly flat and featureless.
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
Yes, 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?
Yes, Carey and Carpow, though Fraser does not use these suggesting - contrary to Tacitus – further harrying to the north took place before Agricola finally withdrew south.
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?
Fraser suggests the philological root of Moncreiffe Hill – Monid Croib - should also be applied to the Gask Ridge. Croib – possibly Gaelic for tree- has some linguistic similarity to Croup and in Gaelic form may possibly echo an older Brythonic place name.
Summary
The Gask Ridge performs very well. Fraser’s traditional site achieves 14 appropriate answers out of a possible 19, securing an "interesting" rating.
Our alternative Dalreoch site addresses some of the problems inherent with the traditional site. This site achieves a very creditable 16 appropriate answers out of a possible 19 rating this site as a very "strong contender".
There are however problems.
The borrowing of good philological evidence that belongs instead to Moncreiffe Hill does unfortunately seem like a sleight of hand.
Fraser’s work however is robust enough to attempt to address the major failing in the site – the need to assault across the River Earn – a noteworthy event Tacitus is worryingly silent on.
In proposing an initial assault to secure a bridgehead – similar to such assaults that took place in 43 AD in southern England and by Agricola at Anglesey using Tungrian and Batavian units - he notes the precedence of using these regional troops in such riverine assaults.
In so doing Fraser is the first to attempt to explain the reason behind Agricola’s decision to initially advance only a part of his battleline into contact.
Fraser’s reasoning is good.
However, it should be pointed out that the Batavians and Tungrians previously employed in such marine bridgehead assaults were cavalry, not the infantry cohorts that Agricola advanced at Mons Graupius.
Further, and more worryingly the Earn has cut very deep banks hereabouts that do not suit an army fording it on anything other than an extremely narrow frontage. That the Earn has not changed course dramatically is proved by the position of the adjacent later marching camp at Forteviot. All of which begs the question; why Agricola did not use the ample ground available there instead of Dunning which is too far away to control the site?
Finally, and most tellingly we must query why Agricola, intent on assaulting the Caledonians openly mustered on the Gask Ridge, marched off the beaten path up Strathallan to camp at Dunning, only to face a difficult cross river assault up the ridge along which the later Roman road proves they used and were aware of as a ready means of communications?
Very simply put, unless Agricola was operating further along the Earn and caught wrong footed it makes no sense why Agricola would deploy in such a manner when he could simply advance along the line of the later road (its southern elements may even have been put in hand at this early stage) up Strathallan allowing an easy assault of the Caledonian position along the spine of the ridge itself and in so doing negating the need to cross a river and climb a hill in the face of the enemy!
The Gask Ridge is a highly recommended site to visit and while pondering the implications of such speculated manoeuvres it provides the visitor with excellent views, being located in the cock- pit of Roman involvement north of the Forth – Clyde line.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Glen Eagles
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
