Statue of Boudicca

[Drusilla]

One of my daughters' saw the statue of Boudicca today on a trip to London and she's just asked me the name of the blades projecting from the wheels of her chariot. Does anyone know if they do have a special name?

[gw1]

They are called Scythed Chariots - originally scythes were attached to the axles:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythed_chariot

[Chessman]

gw1 has given an excellent link, but as a matter of historical fact, Boudicca never used them.

[shaneystar]

And here she is in all here glory ..when I saw her recently....thought I would get in quick before tatty !!
http://tinypic.com/fuyqm0.jpg

One of my favourite statues in London.

[Tatty Rollox]

....... ha, but yours has scythes, shaney, whereas mine does not, which, according to Chessman makes mine the more correct. Here she is on her way to Kings Cross Station where, seemingly, she is buried under platform 10.

[Tatty Rollox]

.... me picture was scythed !!! Try here .

[Drusilla]

Thank you all very much. My daughters love the story of Boudicca (Titian haired similarities) and my elder girl likes to know as much about her as possible. She can now go to bed a very happy little girl. Thanks again!

[shaneystar]

Ha ha Tatty...... I concede,I concede !!!
Read a book about her a while back by Manda Scott...total fiction but very good nevertheless.I wasn't keen on that portrayal of her by Alex Kingston in the T.V programme though.

Wiki has an excellent article about her
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudicca

[John Holmes]

Although blades are shown on this statue's wheels, they are a figment of an over-fertile Victorian imagination.

There is no evidence whatsoever that they were fitted to chariots used by the Celts, Boudicca being a Celtic leader.

These chariots were very light, very manouverable and made of wicker-work on a light wooden frame.

[mike b]

The only ancient reference to scythed chariots in Britain is apparently in Frontinus, who had actually served in the country, but there is no other textual or archaological evidence whatsoever, so he was probably just shooting a line. However, the Galatians, Celts who settled in Asia Minor, did on occasion used scythed chariots captured from their Seleucid enemies.