The Date of Boudicca's Revolt

Abstract

At Annals 14. 29. 1, Tacitus begins his account of the rebellion led by Boudicca in Britain with Caesen〈n〉io Paeto et Petronio Turpiliano consulibus gravis clades in Britannia accepta. The rebellion is described by Tacitus in Annals 14. 29–39. All scholars who have dealt with this revolt have realized that the events narrated cover more than one year. These events must cover parts of two years: at least part of one campaigning season (Suetonius's attack on Mona [Anglesey] and his battle with Boudicca), plus a winter, during which the governor of Britain was changed, and the period when Petronius was governor. Hitherto, Tacitus's habit of giving the events of more than one calendar year under one annalistic year in his discussion of the Armenian Wars has been cited to prove that he does this. A nearer instance is his discussion of British affairs prior to the revolt. Tacitus records the events of separate years together and tells why: haec, quamquam a duobus [Ostorio Didioque] pro praetoribus plures per annos gesta, coniunxi, ne divisa haud perinde ad memoriam sui valerent (Annals 12. 40. 5). Without doubt, he has done the same in his account of the rebellion.

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