The Battle of Colchester

The Battle of Colchester.

The Romans treated Boudicca very badly after the death of her husband. The Iceni tribe were very angry and she raised an army of Celts to fight the Romans. They marched towards the city of Colchester which the Romans called Camulodunum. This was the Roman capital of Britain. Other tribes joined the rebellion and an army of thousands descended on Colchester. They fought fiercely, burning buildings and killing hundreds of men, women and children. Having captured the city they moved on to London, which the Romans called Londinium and then St Albans (another important Roman town). The rebellion was like a fire spreading rapidly across South East Britain. The Celtic army was causing a massive problem for the Romans and news of the rebellion spread fast.

Look at the website https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqtf34j/articles/z9j4kqt.

Discuss the events. Also look at the Fun Facts.

This map shows the important places of Boudicca’s rebellion.

No one knows exactly what Boudicca looked like. One of the Roman’s wrote- She was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees: She wore a great twisted golden necklace, and a tunic of many colours over which was a thick mantle fastened by a brooch. Lots of people have drawn and painted what they think Boudicca may have looked like. Here are some artist’s impressions.

Your task is to paint a portrait of Boudicca. Your painting should be true to the description but also show some of Boudicca’s personality. What sort of person was she? Discuss. (Brave, strong, proud, fearless, frightening). How will she stand to show these? What will she hold in her hands?

An artist’s impression of Boudicca.

This bronze statue of Boudicca and her daughters was sculpted in 1850 and stands on the banks of the River Thames in London.