XPost: soc.history.war.misc, soc.culture.scottish, alt.religion.   
   hristian.presbyterian   
   XPost: alt.religion.christian.baptist   
   From: allan@EASYNET.CO.UK   
      
   "Raktizer Omheit"  wrote in message   
   news:455500b3_1@news.iprimus.com.au...   
   >   
   > "The Highlander"  wrote in message   
   > news:von9l2d63k18mcc3tu2nhn0ticer4pb0c0@4ax.com...   
   > > On Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:54:30 +1100, "Raktizer Omheit"   
   > > Actually, the Romans had probably the best tactics and weaponry seen   
   > > for over a thousand years. The only difference between the Romans and   
   > > the Highlanders 1700 years later was that the Romans marched into   
   > > battle while the Highlanders ran at the enemy.   
      
      
   > Highlander, the Romans did inflict a nasty defeat on the Highland   
   > Picts-Basques-and Celt Scots ( the result of intermingling among   
   successive   
   > waves of invaders of the British Isles prior to the Roman occupation ) at   
   > the Battle of Mons Graupius on what is now Scottish soil in 85 A.D   
      
   Sorry but I can't help myself here snipping again. About the only thing   
   making much sense out of your description here is that Mons Graupius was on   
   what is now Scottish soil. The battle took place long before the Pictish   
   period. The Picts emerged later and were confederations of the British   
   tribes north of the Antonine Wall. Also the Picts weren't Highland Picts.   
   The Pictish peoples area traversed what we'd call the Highland Line. They   
   were in the Highlands and the Lowlands. By tradition the Scotti (as in the   
   Gaels of Dalriada) were still centuries from arriving in Scotland. Even if   
   they were there that early they would almost certainly have been confined to   
   a tiny area on the western seaboard. There is absolutely no reason to   
   believe that Scotti were at Mons Graupius. There is no need to differentiate   
   between Celt Scots and Picts. Both peoples spoke Celtic languages or at the   
   very least most of them spoke Celtic languages. There may be genetic markers   
   linking peoples of the Atlantic seaboard but it is nonsense to describe the   
   tribes fighting the Romans at Mons Graupius as Basques!   
      
   What Highlander is talking about is the Highland Charge of the clans which   
   was really developed as he said about 1700 years later. He may correct me on   
   this, as it's more his area, but I think the MacDonalds were the first to   
   use the tactic in the 17thC when fighting Covenanters and Campbells.   
      
   Allan   
      
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