Mons Graupius Contender: Mormond Hill
Introduction
The conspicuous bulk of Mormond Hill, rising out of low lying agricultural Buchan (circa +80m OD rising to around +230m OD) was for long an antiquarian favourite, appearing on Baldwin and Cradock’s map of 1834 (Show Map).
In choosing this location antiquarians relied heavily on the least reliable aspect of Tacitus’s account in The Agricola; the pre battle speeches.
Here some antiquarians used the (incorrectly) truncated piece of Tacitus where his Calgacus character theatrically claims;
"……..beyond us; nothing is there but waves and rocks"
This clearly appealed to antiquarians as Mormond Hill, located very deep in Taexali territory, is close to the north-west coast and the Kinnaird Head promontory (Taezolorum Pr).
Roman Scotland visited the site in 2008; an appropriate battlefield can be suggested on the southern concave slopes of Mormond Hill centred on Hillfoot.
A: Campaigning
Is the site located in an area of known Flavian campaigning?
No
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?
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?
Yes, the south face of Mormond Hill is a good size at 3.5 km long.
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
No, the watercourses on the plain below the hill are insignificant.
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, however there are some steeper gradients on the upper slopes.
- 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, the landscape behind is flat coastal lowlands.
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
Yes, a two days march to Peterhead.
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, 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
Mormond Hill, a site like Fortingall and Culloden chosen on geographical assumptions only - and in this case uncritical acceptance of Tacitus’s pre battle speeches - fares poorly, achieving only 6.5 appropriate answers out of a possible 19. This rates the site as "highly unlikely".
In fairness however, the antiquarians who selected this site – unlike Fortingall and Culloden – at least picked one with a hill and features generally consistent with the description of the battle.
The archaeological findings to date have not been kind to the North East however and no Roman presence is as yet known in this part of Buchan, a factor which has weighed heavily against this site.
Like the Pass of Grange site, we could critically ask ourselves why a polyglot force of northern tribesmen would assemble so near metaphorical lands end, no doubt watching from a distance the lengthy and leisurely burning of the bulk of their homelands by the otherwise unopposed approaching Roman column?
Locating the site of the battle to the extremities of the landmass is far too simplistic a rendering of Tacitus’s "………….behind us, nothing is there but rocks and waves".
This was a metaphor; to the Romans once above the Forth Clyde line they were in the territory which constituted the end of the known world; "where all created things come to an end".
It could equally be argued, if we loosen pre conceptions of Roman expansion as a necessarily south to north orientated axis of advance, to one where any orientation facing the highland massif could reasonably be so described, and in light of which we can better understand contemporary Roman conceptions of the highlands as represented on Ptolemy’s map.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Pass of Grange
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
