Paulinus's "massacre" of Anglesey in 60ad

[Here Wordus]

We know from Tacitus that Suetonius Paulinus set out to destroy the Druid stronghold of Mona (Anglesey) in 60ad, and many histories mention that the druids were 'wiped out'.

 

But, if the devastation and massacre was so complete, why did Agricola have to re-visit the island twenty years later and [presumably] finish the job?

[Melvadius]

According Tacitius (relevant extracts can be read at the Roman Britain site) while the first attack was aimed at a perceived Druid power-base, rather than being a renewed assualt on Druids per se the second assualt was instead aimed at the Ordovices who were the local tribe.

 

Obviously there are large gaps in our knowledge of Roman Britian in the period from the written record while the archaeological record provides even less precisely datable information. The difference in targets may indicate that the intial destruction was fairly thorough despite being curtailed. However personally I suspect that the Druids were possibly not so large a force in pre-Roman Britain or at least not so formal a grouping as many authors and/or historians seem to give them credit for.

 

The other thing to consider is that twenty years does give time for population levels to either rebuild naturally or alternatively for other tribes to move into a vacuum created by the previous destruction and/ or enslaving of local populations.

[caldrail]

The battle of Mona merely destroyed the druidic power base. The Romans had already begun acting against them long before Claudius ordered his troops across the channel. Augustus had druidic worship banned, so I understand, and Claudius had druidism banned completely as it acted politically against Rome.

 

There are however mentions of druids in the dark ages in remote areas, and irish cchristianity of that period is depicted as supplanting remnant druidic worship. Further, one Roman source mentions druids in Galatia, though in that case the writer is probably referring to gallic tribal judges, a class of people from whom the druids organised themselves in western Europe.

[DecimusCaesar]

The Romans returned to Mona again, this time under the command of Julius Agricola, to suppress the Ordovicians. According to Tacitus they made such a slaughter of them that the entire people were almost wiped out. Suetonius Paulinus had succesfully defeated the Druids at the strait in AD 60, but the conquest of Anglesey was not completed as Paulinus was recalled to fight against the Boudiccan rebels. The Romans stayed on Anglesey afterwards, but their prescence was small. Archaeologists have discovered a small part of a Roman road on the island, while in the third century a small fort and watchtower was built in Holyhead as a lookout point for Irish pirates - this fort had connections with the Segontium auxilliary fortress on the mainland, from which it was probably supplied.