User talk:Ben MacDui/sandbox

Scotland and Rome

Bennachie is my favourite for the battle, for a number of reasons, including its prominence in the north east, and also because there are Roman camps in the area. I think it had a large population at the time, and was probably one of the regional centres for Caledonian power, along with the area near Inverness.

Knock Hill, near Keith has also been suggested. I don't think that is the case.--MacRusgail (talk) 15:35, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Bennachie would be a dramatic backdrop and if I could choose a site to suit myself that would be it. However, I tend to go along with Henig - the whole thing may well have been a huge exaggeration. If the event had truly been a kind of Caledonian Nírnaeth Arnoediad you would have thought some memory or archaeological evidence might exist. It's all too easy to imagine cold and weary troops, spooked by constant ambushes seeing the distant mountains of Ross or Strathspey, cheering their commander to the echo if he announced that all enemies were defeated and they could return to the safety of a fortress before the onset of winter. My guess is they got to somewhere near Inverness and the prefect of the fleet started to get jumpy as the gales increased and the provision of sheltered waters became limited. "OK" says Agricola, "you nip up north and spend the winter with our Orcadian chums, I'll go back to Inchtuthil. There can't be any more tribes of significance further north in this mountainous solitude anyway." Oh for a time-machine! Ben MacDui 16:53, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Elvania

Hiya. The only thing that occurs at a quick glance (I'll have another look later) is that Elvania sounds like Uisge Leamhain < Leamhan (Leven), which would have been an important access route to Loch Lomond. Would have been /LʲevɛNʲ/ with a /v/ before it was dropped in modern Gaelic. But that's just by gut piping up, I have no evidence! Akerbeltz (talk) 15:02, 11 May 2020 (UTC)