“He [Agricola] sent his fleet ahead to plunder at various points and thus spread uncertainty and terror, and, with an army marching light, which he had reinforced with the bravest of the Britons and those whose loyalty had been proved during a long peace, reached the Graupian Mountain, which he found occupied by the enemy. The Britons were, in fact, undaunted by the loss of the previous battle, and welcomed the choice between revenge and enslavement. They had realised at last that common action was needed to meet the common danger, and had sent round embassies and drawn up treaties to rally the full force of all their states.”
Tacitus, Agricola (XXIX)
According to Tacitus, the Battle of Mons Graupius was fought between a Roman army under the command of Gnaeus Julius Agricola and the Pictish tribes of the North-East of Scotland. It probably took place in AD 83 or 84 and was said to have resulted in a convincing victory for the Romans.
Although never colonised by the Romans, there were several campaigns in the North-East which resulted in the establishment of temporary marching camps, with, possibly, a sizeable military presence at the site called Devana, which is presumed to lie near to mouth of the River Dee.
The exact site of the Battle of Mons Graupius is unknown but one possibility is near Bennachie, 25 miles north west of Aberdeen.
Bennachie has several tops, including Oxen Craig, at 528 metres, and Mither Tap (518m) which has an Iron Age fort on its summit. Though not particularly high, compared to other peaks within Scotland, the mountain is very prominent, owing to its isolation and the relative flatness of the surrounding terrain, and dominates the skyline.
The Gordon Way, a waymarked hiking trail, runs for 12 miles through the Bennachie Forest. The route is one of series maintained by the Forestry Commission and Aberdeenshire Council.
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