Petillius Cerialis (the future conqueror of Brigantia) marched south from Lincoln with the Ninth Legion to relieve Camulodunum — and walked into a catastrophic ambush. His entire infantry force was annihilated; only the cavalry escaped with Cerialis himself. The loss of approximately 2,000 legionary infantry in a single engagement was a massive shock. Cerialis reached safety and reported the disaster. The ambush location is unknown but was probably in Essex or Hertfordshire, somewhere on the road between Lincoln and Colchester.
c.2,000+ Roman infantry killed
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
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