Terminology edit

The term Vacomagi was used by the Romans to distinguish between those Caledonians whose territory was in the lower plains to the east of the Grampian Mountains, from the Caledonii whose territory was in the Highland glens further west. Ptolemy's map is the only classical source to mention the Vacomagi by name; other classical sources generally used a generic term, for example Britons or Caledonians.^[d]

Terminology — from 2nd century AD to 4th century AD:^[e]

Etymology edit

The name was probably a derisory insult to the enemy of the Roman army:^[f]

1. Latin <vaco> ..."lazy, idle".
2. Latin <magi> ...plural of magus.
   1. Latin <magus> ..."sorcerer, trickster, conjurer".

The Picts (descendants of the Vacomagi)^[j] are reported to have believed in the magi – people with supernatural powers; for example the magus Broichan, who was alleged to have the ability to influence the weather.^[k][l]

Principal places edit

..."below Caledonia are the Vacomagi, among whom are the following settlements:^[m]
— Claudius Ptolemy (AD c.100–c.170)

1. Moray Firth
   1. Pinnata Castra
   2. Tuesis
2. Firth of Tay
   1. Tamia
3. Firth of Forth
   1. Bannatia

The principal places of the Vacomagi are known only from Ptolemy's map of Albion island of Britannia – from the First Map of Europe.^{[Web 1]}

The historian Graham Robb has used scaling factors to compensate for the anomaly whereby Scotland appears to tip wildly into the North Sea, in order to determine the possible locations:^[n][o] Robb has calculated that Tamia and Bannatia were further south than previously thought,^[p] probably on the Tay and Forth respectively. It might be expected that those settlements were near maritime navigation routes, since most of Ptolemy's data originated from seafarer's travel records.

Tuesis edit

It has in the past been conjectured that Tuesis was the Romano-British name for the River Spey,^[r][s] however historian Graham Robb has calculated that Tuesis was further east, possibly the Burnfield camp on the River Deveron.^[n]

Etymology edit

The name element esis (or isis) may derive from eíschusis (*eis-sis)^[u] translated from Ptolemy’s ancient Greek text.^[s]

The name Tuesis (or Toúesis)^[s] is possibly a conflation of the Gaulish deities Toutatis and Esus:^[v][w][x]

1. Toú – Toutatis – God of the tribe.^[y]
2. esis – Esus – God of the river.

Toutatis and Esus were famously associated with the deity Taranis in the poem Pharsalia by the Roman poet Lucan.^[z][aa]

Hadrian's Wall edit

The cult of Esus was possibly introduced into North Britain by the movement of legions and auxiliaries^[ab] from Roman Gaul (France) and Hispania Tarraconensis (Spain).^[ac] A bronze bowl (known as the Amiens Skillet) found at Amiens, France, has the inscription:

MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODVNVM CAMBOG...S BANNA ESICA

The inscription is a list of the Roman fort's on Hadrian's Wall. The last fort on the list is Æsica (Great Chesters); the name derives from Esus (or Æsus).^[ad]

A pottery mould that is believed to depict the Gaulish deity Taranis was found at the Coria Roman fort near Hexham.^[ae] Similar moulds were used to create relief decoration for fine pottery.^[af]

Tamia edit

Etymology edit

The name element Tam is a common river name, there are many examples in England; a famous example is the River Thame,^[ag] one of the major tributaries of the River Thames (Roman: Tamesis – Tam..esis).^[ah]

It has been conjectured that the name Tam may derive from a Sanskrit word meaning "dark water".^[ai][aj]

Another possibility is that Tam is the nickname of a Celtic god, goddess or deity. It is known that the Celts worshipped rivers,^[ak][al][an] and gave votive offerings.^[ao]

In addition to the British Celts, there was also a migration of Celts from Roman Gaul (France) and Hispania Tarraconensis (Spain), during the Roman occupation, who brought with them their own pantheon of deities with them.^[ac]

River Tay edit

The Legio XX Valeria Victrix built and occupied the castra at Inchtuthil on the River Tay AD 82–86. A Roman altar found in Chester, AD 1653, may provide evidence that the Legio XX worshipped the Gaulish deity Taranis, but using the variant name Tanarus. There is a natural association between Tanarus – "God of thunder" – rain and rivers.^[ap][aq]

The Romano-British name for the Tay – ("Taus") – may derive from Tanarus (Ta..nar..us).^[ar][as]

It has been conjectured that the Bertha Roman fort near the River Almond – River Tay confluence was originally called Tamia, derived from the native name for the River Tay.^[t]

Inchtuthil and Carpow edit

Inchtuthil and Carpow were both Roman legionary fortresses – based on the River Tay – the only legionary fortresses north of Hadrian's Wall, and therefore of strategic importance. However Inchtuthil was only occupied for a short while^[ac] and Carpow was occupied much later, from the late second century AD until the early third century AD. It is not known if there was a base at Carpow when data was collected for Ptolemy's map.

Bannatia edit

Graham Robb has calculated that Bannatia might have been Camelon Roman fort at Falkirk, south of the River Carron. The name Bannatia may derive from Welsh (Welsh-Brittonic) <bannau> ..."peaks".^[at] This might relate to the breathtaking views of the Munro peaks, to the north of Stirling, for example Stùc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich. The etymology suggests that Bannatia was between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay,^[au][av] and validates Graham Robb's methodology for re-evaluating Ptolemy's co-ordinates.^[aw]

The area around Stirling was historically known as Manau (or Manaw Gododdin).^[ax] This area has always been strategically important because of its location just north of the Clyde–Forth isthmus.^[ay]

Mons Graupius AD c.83 edit

The Battle of Mons Graupius took place in AD 83 or 84 between the Roman army and a coalition of Vacomagi, Caledonii and other native tribes.^[az] The combined might of the Roman army resulted in a decisive victory for the Roman general Agricola.^[ba]

The location of the battle ("Graupius mountain") has never been convincingly identified, however most historians agree that it was somewhere east of the Highlands and north of the Forth (in other words – Vacomagi territory – or thereabouts). Some historians believe that Bennachie, near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, might have been a possible location.^[bb]

The Roman army edit

The Roman army consisted of:^[bc]

The Caledonians edit

During the previous years the Roman advance had destroyed farms and crops;^[bd] this had probably been worse for the Vacomagi, whose territory was in the lower plains to the east – than for the Caledonii, whose territory in the Highland glens was more protected.^[be]

Tacitus edit

The Roman historian Tacitus gave us this account: ^[bh]

Legio XX Valeria Victrix edit

The Legio XX Valeria Victrix from Clunia in Hispania Tarraconensis (Spain) took part in the Battle of Mons Graupius AD c.83 and built and occupied the castra at Inchtuthil on the River Tay AD 82–86. They evacuated Inchtuthill c.87 and arrived at Deva Victrix (Chester) AD 88 where they were based for another two centuries.

Chronology:^[bk]

Glen Tanar edit

A Roman altar found in Chester, AD 1653, may provide evidence that the Legio XX worshipped the Gaulish deity Taranis, but using the variant name Tanarus. There is a natural association between Tanarus – God of thunder – rain and rivers.^[bl]

It is possible that the Water of Tanar – in Glen Tanar – derives its name from the Gaulish deity Tanarus. At the entrance to Glen Tanar is the Bridge o' Ess, suggesting that this part of the river was previously known as the Ess (or Esk, a common river name) possibly derived from the Gaulish deity Esus – God of the river.^[aa] The Tanar rises on the north side of Mount Keen, the most easterly of the Scottish Munro's.

Mount Keen is in a geographic area known as The Mounth, an expanse of high plateau that extends west to east from the Cairngorms across to the North Sea coast. It forms a physical barrier to north-south travel – historians sometimes refer to The Mounth in the context of it being a geo-political border that historically separated the north and south of Pictland.^[bm][bn]

Mount Keen is also part of a range of hills that defined the west to east boundary between the former regions of Grampian and Tayside.

The Mounth Road is a high level track that connects Glen Esk (south of the Mounth) with Aboyne on the River Dee (north of the Mounth). The track traverses the west flank of Mount Keen before descending down into Glen Tanar. Historically the Mounth Road connected the north and south of Pictland.

Monadh Caoin edit

It is possible that the people who gave Mount Keen its Scottish Gaelic name ("Monadh Caoin") had a good understanding of its human history. Important historic events were rarely recorded in written form but were regaled over and over in the form of stories or poems passed down from generation to generation.^[bo][bp]

See also Wiktionary:

1. Scottish Gaelic <monadh> ...Possibly borrowed from Pictish
   1. "moor, heath"
   2. "mountain, hill"
   3. "hill-pasture"
2. Scottish Gaelic <caoin>
   1. "mourn, lament, grieve"
   2. "cry, weep"

2nd century edit

The Vacomagi were a confederacy of smaller tribes, each one a separate polity with its own hierarchy of leaders. According to the data collected by Ptolemy, the Vacomagi were spread out over a wide area between the Moray Firth and the Firth of Forth; to the east of the Cairngorms and north of the Clyde–Forth isthmus. This area was also occupied by neighbouring tribes:

1. Taexali (north-east)
2. Venicones (south-east)
3. Caledones (west)

They were probably hunter-gatherer's who also kept animals and grew crops – it was reported that during the Roman advance, prior to the Battle of Mons Graupius, there had been destruction to farm land. They probably lived in traditional roundhouse dwellings.

3rd century edit

By the late 2nd century – early 3rd century, only two tribes are known (from classical sources) to have occupied the original territory of the Vacomagi:^[bq]

1. Caledones
2. Maeatae (south)^[br]

It has been conjectured that the Vacomagi and other tribes realigned their allegiances towards two main polities, those of the Caledones and Maeatae, in order to better coordinate their defence against the Romans.^[bs]

7th century edit

It was only by about the late 7th century that the descendants of the Vacomagi and Caledones became the contiguous group that we now know as the Picts, with a unique language, culture and identity, and ruled by a single Pictish king.^[bt] The term Picti (first recorded AD c.297) was used in classical sources to distinguish between those Celtic Tribes in Northern Britain who were Romanised^[bu] – from those who were outside the Roman rule of law.^[bv]

Roman altar found in Chester (AD 1653) edit

A red sandstone altar dedicated to Jupiter—Tanarus by the Legio XX Valeria Victrix was found in Foregate Street, Chester, AD 1653.^{[RIB 1]}

The inscription on the altar was in poor condition when it was found in 1653 and deteriorated further while being used as a garden feature before it was given to Oxford University in 1675.^{[Web 3]}

To Jupiter Tanarus, Best and Greatest,
Lucius Elufrius Praesens of the Galerian voting-tribe,
from Clunia,
princeps of the Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix,
willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow
in the consulship of Commodus and Lateranus.^{[RIB 1]}

The Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix were based at Deva Victrix, from AD 88, following their evacuation from Inchtuthill castra on the River Tay near Dunkeld.

Jupiter—Tanarus edit

Tanarus is believed to be a variant name for the Gaulish deity Taranis;^[31][bx] one of the triad of Gaulish deities mentioned in the poem Pharsalia by the Roman poet Lucan.^[z][aa] Another example of a dedication on stone to Tanarus, by a Gaul named Vebroumarus, was found at Orgon, Bouches du Rhone, France.^[32]

Jupiter—Tanarus is a conflation of:^[w][by][bz]

1. Roman god Jupiter – King of the gods, god of storms, lightning, sky.
2. Gaulish deity Taranis – God of thunder.

• Insular Celts
  • Celtic Britons
  • Picts
  • Gaels
• List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes
  • Picts / Caledonians

Citations edit

Web edit

RIB edit

Maps edit

Notes edit

• de la Bédoyère, Guy (2013). Roman Britain: A New History. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500291146.

• Coleman, Keith (2022). Áedán of the Gaels: King of the Scots. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1526794901.

• Foster, Sally M. (2014). Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic Scotland. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN 978-1780271910.

• Green, Miranda J (1992). Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0500279755.

• Green, Miranda J (1982), "Tanarus, Taranis and the Chester altar", Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society 65, 65: 37–44, doi:10.5284/1070267

• James, Alan G. (2019). "The Brittonic Language in the Old North, A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence, Volume 2" (PDF). Scottish Place-Name Society. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

• Moffat, Alistair (2019). To the Island of Tides; A Journey to Lindisfarne. Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1786896346.

• Moffat, Alistair (2017). Scotland, A History from Earliest Times. Birlinn. ISBN 978-1780274386.

• Noble, Gordon; Evans, Nicholas (2022). The Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North. Birlinn. ISBN 978-1780277783.

• Oliver, Neil (2012). A History of Ancient Britain. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0753828861.

• Rabbitts, Paul; Rabbitts, David (2022). Cotherstone: A Village in Teesdale. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1398113831.

• Reaney, P. H. (1969). The Origin of English Place Names. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

• Robb, Graham (2018). The Debatable Land: The Lost World Between Scotland and England. Picador (imprint). ISBN 978-1509804689.

• Rodgers, Nigel (2017). Ancient Rome: An Illustrated History. Lorenz Books. ISBN 978-0754834205.

• Strang, Alastair (1997). "Explaining Ptolemy's Roman Britain". Britannia. 28: 1–30. doi:10.2307/526763. JSTOR 526763. S2CID 161532105.