Talk:Gnaeus Julius Agricola

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[edit] Is Agricola King Arthur?

I can't help but wonder if he was the origin of the tale. I'll list why I have this suspicion:

1. The name is similar in pronunciation. Through centuries of corruption, Agricola could have turned into Arcturus.

2. His military escapades parallel those of Arthur's, including a final battle on a hill where the enemy is decisively defeated.

3. He fought the Caledonians/Picts in the North, as did Arthur.

4. After his great battle, he left "over the sea". He did not die in Britain. Arthur went away to the Isle of Avalon, and Agricola left for Rome.

5. The major reason I have a suspicion about this though, is that the Agricola (the book) preserved memory of the man throughout the Roman period as an idealized leader of Britain. His reputation would have slipped into common parlance and after the loss of the book in the Dark Ages, into legend, myth and confusion with other heroes.

[edit] The conquest of Scotland

Recent dating evidence of Roman sites in central Scotland show conclusively that the area was occupied for some time before Agricola ever became the British governer - I don't mean visited, I mean truely occupied. In other words, his "conquest of Scotland" (such as it was) was accomplished by one of his predecessors. It is now thought among many historians even that the battle of Mons Graupus did not actually even take place, or was simply a minor skirmish. See here, for example. Lianachan 12:45, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I was just reading that link for another reason, this and associated articles need a bit of editing!