What did Boudica Really Look Like? History & Facial Reconstructions of the Celtic Rebel & Hero

Hello everyone and welcome back to Royalty Now, where we bring you face to face with figures from the past. Boudicca was the warrior queen of the Aikini tribe. After decades of deceit and oppression by the Roman Empire, she would lead a massive Celtic uprising, gathering the largest force the Roman Empire had ever faced in battle. We'll talk about her history and reveal our reconstruction of what she could have looked like at the end. Now, due to her time in history, not much is known about Boudicca's early life, with her date and place of birth being lost to the ages. We do know that she became queen of the Aikini tribe, who lived in the region of present-day Norfolk, England, after she married their king, Prasutagus, with whom she would have two daughters. Now even going back to the time of Julius Caesar, a hundred years before Boudicca, Rome had been trying to gain control of Britannia. Romans believed that Britain was the last frontier, filled with mystery and riches. But over the course of the century, all attempts to invade the island failed, beaten back by its aggressive inhabitants, the Celts. A people so fearsome and reckless that they would come to battle riding chariots, hair white and spiked with chalk lime and fully naked. But in 43 AD, Emperor Claudius sent a force of 40,000 men to invade the island, and they were able to finally gain a foothold in the south of what is now England. The Celtic tribes began to fall, one by one. Seeing the writing on the wall, King Prasutagus, who had been battling the Romans for 20 years, decided to accept a deal in an attempt to save his people. If Prasutagus signs the treaty, he gets to keep his title, his kingdom, and if he doesn't, his people would be slaughtered. Thanks to Prasutagus, the Romans would spare the Aikini, and in fact, their tribe began to prosper. The Roman trade actually raised the people's quality of life, and it appeared that the deal had worked out for both sides. But in 60 AD, King Prasutagus died, leaving behind Boudica and her two daughters. In his will, he had divided his lands jointly. They would belong to both his daughters and the Roman Emperor Nero, hoping to keep the Romans satisfied. But they were not. In fact, whatever goodwill the two powers had established had died with Emperor Claudius. Emperor Nero wanted full domination. Roman soldiers began to pillage the countryside, eventually ransacking the king's household and capturing Boudica and her daughters. In an attempt to break the Aikini people, the Romans organized a spectacle, violently humiliating Boudica and her daughters in public, expecting them to submit to their rule. But to the Aikini watching, this was the worst imaginable insult. Boudica and her daughters were left broken and battered, but alive. Yet as her body healed, Boudica began to feel an all-consuming rage. And it was here that she decided that she would kill every last one of the Romans. Rome would pay for its disgusting acts. According to Roman historian Tacitus, Boudica would set off to unite the most powerful Celtic tribes and amass an army. To convince them, she told them her story, the absolute worst the Romans could do. To those that argued life was better when they were allied with the Romans, she argued that wealth cannot be enjoyed under slavery. They must sacrifice a higher quality of life for their freedom. The disrespect that the Romans had shown to Boudica was soon seen as an assault on all of Rome's Celtic allies. If they joined together, they would be strong. Her call to action would inspire thousands to rise up against the Romans. Soon, more than 120,000 Celts, comprised of all the united Celtic tribes, were ready to wage all-out war, with Boudica as their leader. The only physical description of Boudica that survives comes from Roman historian Cassius Dio. Although he was writing over a hundred years after the events of her life, his description may come from eyewitness accounts that have since been lost to history. And it paints a fearsome picture of the leader Boudica had become. Dio says she was very tall and terrifying in appearance, sometimes carrying a spear. He says the very glance of her eye was fierce, and her voice was harsh. She had long, tawny hair that fell all the way to her hips. Around her neck was a large golden necklace, and she wore a tunic of many colors with a thick cloak fastened by a brooch. This is how she would lead her people to war. The Celts' first target was the old capital of the first tribe conquered by Julius Caesar nearly 100 years before, called the Trinovantes. The settlement called Camulodunum had since been made into an outpost for Roman military veterans. The veterans living there had been accused of treating locals horribly, even forcing them to build an enormous temple to Roman Emperor Claudius. It was the perfect target for Boudica's first attack. When her enormous force thundered through the town, they killed everyone in sight, taking no prisoners. A small force of 200 Roman soldiers rallied and came to the aid of the veterans, but they were quickly overwhelmed. Only two of them escaped with their lives. Boudica then turned south to Londinium, a new Roman settlement that had quickly become an incredibly important trade center for the Empire. Before she arrived, the wealthy citizens and even the Roman army had evacuated the city, leaving behind the defenseless citizens to whatever fate lay ahead. And to be killed by a Celt was a dreadful fate. Boudica's rage can be seen in its full extent in Londinium. Her forces killed and viciously tortured anyone they found, committing unspeakable crimes, just as the Romans had done to them. Every single inch of Londinium was burnt to the ground. According to Maeve Kennedy, coins, pottery, and bones found in London, dated to before AD 60, all show a thick red layer of burnt debris. Boudica's forces would then set their sights north, to Verulamium, and burn that city to the ground as well. All in all, Boudica and her forces had destroyed three of the most important towns in Roman Britain, and killed between 70,000 to 80,000 Romans in the process. Emperor Nero was shocked by Boudica's bloodthirst and determination, and he began to consider abandoning Roman Britain entirely. But he had one final card to play. While all of this was happening, Suetonius, a Roman commander who had evacuated out of had been preparing his counter-assault to the revolt. He had amassed an army of 10,000 men to fight Boudica and her enormous force, which, according to Dio, had gathered momentum and swelled to 230,000 kilts. But what Boudica didn't have was Suetonius' years of experience leading soldiers. Once he was ready, he would pick the perfect location for the battle, and lure the Queen of the Iceni. With force surrounding him on his flanks and rear, he knew it would be difficult for Boudica's force to surround and overwhelm them. Riding through her front lines on a chariot, Boudica is described by Tacitus to have given one final speech to her army before the battle. It is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging my lost freedom, my scourged body, and the outraged chastity of my daughters. Consider how many of you are fighting and why, then you will win this battle or perish. That is what I, a woman, will do. Let the men live in slavery if they wish. With that, Boudica would charge with her daughters by her side, and 230,000 rebels running behind. Unfortunately, she was facing one of the most disciplined and formidable forces in the world. Unbothered by the size of her army, the Romans advanced towards her in a wedge formation. With better weapons, better armor, and better training, they began to push her army back. And when the Roman cavalry joined the battle, it became a massacre. Nearly 80,000 Britons would fall in the battle, with only 400 Romans dying. Although Boudica would escape the battle, she would not live long. It's been debated throughout history whether she poisoned herself or died of illness. Either way, she was given a lavish burial, a warrior's burial, by her surviving people. With Boudica's defeat, Rome consolidated their rule in southern England, and would go on to rebuild Londinium, which would eventually become one of the most important cities in history, London. But Boudica's tale would spread throughout the land, and inspire northern Britons to remain hostile to the Romans. 61 years later, Roman Emperor Hadrian would order a wall to be built, to separate Romans from barbarians, effectively ending Rome's conquest of the known world. A statue of Boudica and her daughters now stands in the very center of London. An eternal reminder of what it means to have the heart of a Briton. Boudica's grave and body have never been found, so without any portraits or bones to work from, I dove into the research about what Boudica would have worn and how she would have decorated herself. I've created Boudica's appearance based on what we know. She was in her late 20s or early 30s when she died. She would probably have classic Anglo-Saxon features, which are all backed up by the description given by Dio. She would be tall with light coloring, red or blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Common Anglo-Saxon facial features are a high forehead, defined cheekbones, a narrow nose, and eyebrows that lay close to the eyes. Now, the Celts are not a unified people, so different tribes would have different traditions. But overall, the Celts were a very decorated people. They loved brightly colored clothing, woven with wool and dyed with natural dyes. Actually, Celtic outfits were so colorful that Romans often remarked upon it, which is probably why Dio mentions it in his description of Boudica. The design of women's garments would be something like a Roman tunic. Dio also mentions this large gold necklace that she wears. And he's talking about a torc. This is a Celtic style of thick gold ring worn around the neck, and there are dozens of archaeological examples of these. Despite romantic depictions of Boudica as a painted warrior queen, she probably never wore the blue face paint called woad, although she may have worn eyeliner or other makeup. We know her hair was long and tawny, although Romans used this term rather loosely, but most assumed she had red or red gold hair. Celtic women would decorate their hair with braids and twists, as well as beads or bits of metal. The warriors would sometimes use chalk lime to bleach or decorate their hair, although we aren't sure if Boudica did this. So while a definitive likeness of Boudica is no longer possible, let's take a look at my recreation of what a warrior queen of the Ikeni tribe would have looked like now. Thank you all so much for watching. We had an amazing time digging into the history and anthropology for this video, and we'll see you all for the next one.