Roman Britain. Мартемьянова Н.В. - 17 стр.

                                         17


   Mai-Dun, the huge hill-village near Dorchester, Dorset, now known as
Maiden Castle. Man lived on this 1,000 yard long hill since at least 2000 BC.
By 44 AD it enclosed the main village of the Durotrigian tribe 45 acres of
ground.
Huge earth ramparts, some 90 feet high, protected it in successive rings, and
were strengthened at some points by dry-stone walls and timber palisades. The
West gate had seven different ramparts; even the East gate, chosen for an attack
by the Legio II Augusta, had four.
The Battle
   After a scramble up the steep grassy slope, and from the short sharp fight
with the tribes men who had tried to hold it, the last of the Britons on this bank
was down. For the moment the fighting had passed on ahead of Fronto's Century
of the 2nd Cohort, Legio II Augusta.
   The Armored backs and big red shields of Fatalis's Century pressed on
through the sunken lane towards the gateway into the big Celtic hill-fort.
   Part of the Century was in 'Tortoise' formation, shields forming a box to
protest the soldiers from the stones and javelins hurled by the howling tribesmen
up on the ramparts. The Attack did not waver, then the shield box broke up, and
the silver and red figures ran up the bank at their tormentors.
   The Legate Vespasian was keeping his usual tight grip on the battle, as soon
as these outer banks were signaled secure he would have ordered forward some
of the legion's light mule drawn catapults, to give close supporting fire for the
final push through the gate.
   Vespasian was much of a soldier as Centurion Fatalis, which made a change
from the perfumed politicians who usually got commands.
   Through the smoke from the burning huts, the II Augusta would push
through the ramparts and deploy into their proper ranks again.
     The Britons hadn’t a hope as discipline and training always beat individual
courage. The Britons had no proper tactics, no professional officers, no amour,