I enjoyed John's accounts of the Romans v Anglesey they make fascinating reading but do go a bit beyond the known 'facts'. I just wondered if folks would be interested to know what is actually known, in the words of the Romans amongst others.

Here is what we do know although not even the ancient sources are particularly reliable.....

There are no known archaeological remains associated with Paulinus' invasion of Anglesey or of N. Wales in general. We do know the following from Roman writers:

Seutonius Paulinus was a well respected general best known for his (later) crushing of the Iceni and Boudica (Bodicea).

So in AD 60 "... Suetonius Paulinus ... had two successful years, reducing tribes and strengthening garrisons: presuming upon which success, he attacked the island of Anglesey, a rallying-point of rebellion, ..." (Tacitus Agricola xiv.3.)

The famous attack on Anglesey was recorded by Tacitus as follows.

xxix "... [Suetonius Paulinus] prepared accordingly to attack the island of Mona, which had a considerable population of its own, while serving as a haven for refugees; and, in view of the shallow and variable channel, constructed a flotilla of boats with flat bottoms. By this method the infantry crossed; the cavalry, who followed, did so by fording or, in deeper water, by swimming at the side of their horses. xxx "On the beach stood the adverse array, a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralysed, they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement.

"Then, reassured by their general, and inciting each other never to flinch before a band of ! females and fanatics, they charged behind the standards, cut down all who met them, and enveloped the enemy in his own flames. The next step was to install a garrison among the conquered population, and to demolish the groves consecrated to their savage cults: for they considered it a pious duty to slake the altars with captive blood and to consult their deities by means of human entrails. - While he was thus occupied, the sudden revolt of the province (Iceni and Boudica) was announced to Suetonius." (Tacitus Annals XIV.xxix-xxx.)

"Now it chanced that Paulinus had already brought Mona to terms, and so on learning of the disaster in Britain he at once set sail thither from Mona. ..." (Cassius Dio History of Rome LXII.8.) Paulinus thus left with his soldiers at the point when it appears that he had overcome the inhabitants of Anglesey.

"It should be remembered that Tacitus was a biased observer and that the slaking of altars with blood etc may well be propaganda of the type that usually accuses the enemies of eating babies for breakfast, but nobody knows for sure. The Romans did not return for another 18 years, but when they did it was a determination to subdue North Wales under Agricola.

The Ordovices were a tribe that we know to have lived in N. Wales, probably in Snowdonia.

"... He almost exterminated the whole tribe: [Ordovices] then, recognising the necessity of confirming first impressions, knowing that he depended on the issue of his first campaign to terrorise the enemy for the future, he determined to reduce the island of Anglesey, from the capture of which, as I have before recorded, Paulinus had been recalled by the general rebellion in Britain.

"His plans had been hastily formed and so, as was natural, he had no ships on the spot; yet the resourcefulness and determination of the general bridged the straits. For after unloading all the baggage he picked a body of native auxiliaries who knew the fords, and had that facility in swimming which belongs to their nation, and by means of which they can control simultaneously their own movements, their weapons, and their horses: he then launched them upon the enemy so suddenly that the astonished islanders, who looked for fleets of ships upon the sea, promptly came to the conclusion that no thing was hard and nothing invincible to men who fought in this fashion.

"Accordingly they petitioned for peace and surrendered the island. ..." (Tacitus Agricola 18.3-5.)

Again a biased account, Tacitus was Agricola's son in law!

After this, N. Wales was garrisoned by the Romans. All of the forts and roads, that we know about, were built after 78AD by Agricola and his successors (apart from a huge fort near Bala, fairly recently discovered and the subject of a stunningly detailed geophysical survey last year showing all the buildings within it etc .....but that's a different story)

The story of the battle at Llanidan comes from a fascinating but in many places historically highly suspect book called Mona Antiqua Restaurata by Henry Rowlands vicar of Llanidan written in 1723 (also based on Tacitus). He identifies a field called Maes Hir Gad : the long army's field. An other field nearby is called Cae-oer-waedd or the field of bitter lamentation. This suggests some kind of battle but Anglesey has suffered from a lot of military activity over the centuries and it is pure speculation to attribute these field names to one particular battle 1600 years before.

H Rowlands goes on to describe a very colourful, but wholly fictitious, account of the druids on Anglesey drawing on themes and monuments from the Bible to Neolithic monuments. At this time there was a huge upsurge in all things 'celtic' (in fact the word had never been used to describe the inhabitants of Wales Scotland and Ireland before this time, see Simon James book www.ares.u-net.com/celthome.htm.

It's fascinating stuff ). We actually know practically nothing about druids beyond Tacitus, writings. It was almost all made up by a man called William Stuckeley in about 1740 and taken as ancient tradition ever since!