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Why Rome couldn’t defeat Scotland


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Here's a great video from Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook on their podcast "The Rest is History." It is titled "Why Rome Couldn't Conquer Scotland."

 

 

They discuss the famous quote by Calgacus, the Caledonian chieftain who battled Rome at the Battle of Mons Graupius in Northern Scotland in AD 83-84. Below is a thread that delves into the impact of that quote throughout history.

 

 

 

Edited by guy
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Rome couldn't defeat Scotland because it wouldn't exist until nine hundred years later. They had however defeated the assembled army of Picts at Mons Graupius, but annexation didn't happen - Agricola was recalled before any political settlement and tested for loyalty.

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IMG_4662.gif.56a55ac89d408bd29673970a8ed1bbb8.gif

(Scene from the movie “The Eagle”)

 

2 hours ago, caldrail said:

Rome couldn't defeat Scotland because it wouldn't exist until nine hundred years later

 
Caldrail, point well taken. That reminds me of a discussion from just last year (below).
 

Ultimately, it becomes a matter of costs v benefits. Unlike modern Wales, which was rich in minerals (such as gold, copper, and lead), modern Scotland apparently wasn’t worth Rome’s limited manpower and resources for conquest and exploitation.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Roman_Britain#:~:text=Mining was one of the,unequaled until the Middle Ages.

 

 

 

Edited by guy
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