Ancient battles

Published on 19/12/2012 00:00

It IS surprising that Historic Scotland’s final inventory of ­battlegrounds should have omitted two of the most important earlier ones (your report, 
17 December).

The Battle of Mons Graupius was fought in probably 83AD between a Roman legion under Agricola, and a Pictish army under Calgacus at an ­unknown site in the North-east. It was a disaster for the Picts who, ­according to Tacitus, sustained 10,000 casualties to the Romans’ 360.

The Battle of Dunnichen was fought in May 685AD, between the army of the Pictish king Bruide and the Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith.

It was a resounding victory for the Picts and its territorial significance was singular – historians suggest that it separated what became Scotland from England for the first time.

Peter Laidlaw

Bramdean Rise

Edinburgh