Boadicea and her destruction of Colchester.
Anno Domini 60 or 61
Much has been written about a warrior queen by the name of Boadicea, who gathered a huge army and rose up against the might of Roman rule in first century Britain. As far as we know, her first attack was made on the capital of Britain, then known as Camulodunum, but now known as Colchester - Britain's oldest recorded town. Most of what has been written is pure conjecture. She is viewed as a British heroine and one that is linked to Colchester. For that reason this web page shows a little of how Colchester treats the memory of this formidable woman.
To set the matter straight, right from the beginning, we are using her name of Boadicea, as she has been known for centuries. Nobody knows how she pronounced or spelled her name, any more than we do of Jesus Christ. All we know is how others wrote her name - and that is fine with us. You may refer to her as Boudica, Boudicca, or whatever. It is unlikely that any of us have it right. To us at Camulos she will always be Boadicea, a true warrior queen.
THE EVIDENCE
We know of Boadicea through two writers: the Roman writer Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, in his "Agricola" (written around 98 AD) and "The Annals" (written around 109 AD), and another Roman writer named Dio Cassius Cocceianus, in his "The Rebellion of Boadicea" (written around 163 AD). Neither record is contemporary, so the accuracy of the record can only be guessed at.
Tacitus, the most important Roman historian of this period, took a particular interest in Britain as Gnaeus Julius Agricola, his father-in-law and the subject of his first book, served there three times. He was a military tribune under Suetonius Paulinus, which almost certainly gave Tacitus an eyewitness source for Boadicea's revolt.
Dio Cassius's sources are less certain. He is generally agreed to have based his account on that of Tacitus, but he simplifies the sequence of events and adds details, such as the calling in of loans, that Tacitus does not mention. He says of Boadicea:
"Boadicea was tall, terrible to look on and gifted with a powerful voice. A flood of bright red hair ran down to her knees; she wore a golden necklet made up of ornate pieces, a multi-coloured robe and over it a thick cloak held together by a brooch. She took up a long spear to cause dread in all who set eyes on her."
He reports that she committed all sorts of atrocities in the name of a goddess called Andraste, who he claims is the British equivalent of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.
Tacitus reports that "According to one report almost eighty thousand Britons fell" compared with only four hundred Romans. Boadicea, according to Tacitus, poisoned herself; Dio Cassius says she fell sick and died, and was given a lavish burial. So who to believe? Does it matter?
The following links will give more information:
http://www.answers.com/topic/boudicca
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/boudicca/p/boudicca.htm
It would not be correct to say that the people of Colchester have treated Boadicea as a heroine. After all is said and done, she destroyed the colonia and butchered its inhabitants - or so we are led to believe by writer's referring to the event over 30 years later. What we do have is the record left by Tacitus and Cassius Dio and the corroborating evidence of a layer of burnt earth and debris from that period, so often uncovered when archaeologists do their work in the centre of the town.
We accept Boadicea as a person who is very much a part of our history: somebody worthy of our respect and commemoration. So, for your information and a bit of fun, we offer you a few images of Boadicea in many guises, as portrayed in a Colchester setting.
An Edwardian stained glass impression of her in Colchester Town Hall.
Cartoon by Barrie
Pearce in Colchester 2000
years later! Cartoon by Barrie
Pearce Colchester Festival Colchester Festival Cllr Hogg Colchester Festival Emily Statue to Boadicea at North Station by
Jonathan Clarke of Bury St Edmunds Boobica, alias Mike
Hogg Colchester Festival Emily Colchester Festival The Boadicea Challenge
Trophy Statue to Boadicea at St Benedict's School (Dec
2005) Colchester Festival 2005
You can pick up the story of Boadicea in Colchester here, as part of our Virtual Tour.
page created 070106
last updated 030207
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