From the Ancient Sources
Short excerpts from surviving Roman accounts of Boudicca’s revolt, preserving some of the earliest written descriptions of the Iceni queen and her war against Rome.
Surviving Roman accounts describing Boudicca and the revolt against Rome in AD 60–61.
Cassius Dio: circa AD 200 - 230 (140–170 years after the revolt)
“In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce.”
“A great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips.”
Tacitus: circa AD 110–120 (50–60 years after the revolt)
“Boudicca was scourged and her daughters violated.”
“Places which were not fortified by military garrisons were pillaged and laid waste.”
“The province was reduced to the verge of ruin.”