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Boudicca's Final Speech

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Boudicca is a prominent figure in the history of Britain. As Queen of the Iceni tribe in ancient South East England, she led the revolt of the Celtic (Ancient British) people against the occupying Romans in 60 AD. Although she was a woman in a time when women didn’t usually hold any power, her people were willing to follow her cause and left a bloody trail of devastation; having Roman families hanged, burnt and crucified. However, her legacy has inspired Queens and she has been immortalised as one of Britain’s first heroic patriots. What we know for sure about this inspirational woman is limited. The main sources of information about her are from histories written by prominent Roman historians, Dio Cassius and Tacitus. This not only creates …show more content…

Interpretations of her final speech by Tacitus and Dio Cassius demonstrate her telling her people that it would be better to perish in battle than live under Roman rule as slaves. The Celts destroyed everything in their path, massacring the Roman army, plundering cities and murdering Roman families. According to accounts the Britons “could not wait to cut throats, hang, burn and crucify” (Tacitus, Annals, XIV), as well as “sack and plunder…and…wreak indescribable slaughter” (Dio Cassius, History of Rome, Vol. III). These accounts lead us to believe the actions of the Celts truly were barbarous. This view is enforced by the finding of the remains of a Roman family at Castle Hill, Nottinghamshire. Three skeletons – a Roman soldier, a British woman and their son – are believed to be victims of Boudicca’s revolt. The vertebrae in the man’s neck had been thrust up into his palate, his arms were pushed behind his back and his legs were doubled up underneath him. The woman’s skeleton showed evidence of lying on her back, but her head was turned face down, and the boy had been dismembered. This archaeological evidence seems to confirm that Boudicca and her followers were violent and murderous

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