History & Facial Reconstructions of the Celtic Rebel & British Hero | Royalty Now

Narration & Art: Becca Segovia
Writing, Editing & Music Direction: Andre Segovia

Meet the woman who gathered the largest army the Roman Empire ever faced.

Boudica was the Queen of the Iceni tribe, located in what is now Norfolk, England. She led an uprising of Celtic tribes after the Romans pillaged her town, and raped her daughters. Although she was eventually defeated, she remains a British folk hero to this day.

But what's most mysterious is her appearance. Boudica’s grave and body have never been found.

The only physical description we have to work from comes from Roman Historian Cassius Dio, although he was writing over a hundred years after her death:

"In stature she was very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; and she wore a tunic of diverse colors over which a thick mantle was fastened with a brooch…"

I’ve created Boudica’s appearance based on what we know - she was in her late twenties or early thirties when she died. She would have classic Celtic-Briton 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 Celtic-Briton facial features are a high forehead, defined cheekbones, narrow nose, and eyebrows that lay close to the eyes.

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 the Romans often remarked upon it, which is probably why Dio mentions it in his description of Boudica.

The design of the 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 thick gold ring worn around the neck. 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 use this term loosely, most assume she had red or red-gold hair. Celtic women would decorate their hair with braids or 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, this is a reliable depiction of what a Celtic Queen from Roman-Era Britain could have looked like!

0:00 Early Life & The Romans
2:24 The Event that Sparked a Revolt
4:43 Physical Description of Boudica
5:35 Celtic Victories
7:40 Rome's Revenge
10:03 Boudica's Death & Legacy
11:17 What did Boudica look like?
13:25 Re-Creations Revealed

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[RoyaltyNowStudios]

Hey everyone! Apologies for the mistake where I said her ethnicity was Anglo-Saxon - it should be Celtic-Briton with classic Celtic Briton facial features. Also, a note about pronunciation - many of you are saying Iceni should be pronounced with a soft “c” sound, but the celts never used a soft C. It would sound like a K.
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[kickpublishing]

A truly touching tribute to a great woman whose name alone still resonates 2000 years later.

[mrfearsmom]

Imo boudica is EVERY female history buff's hero! No Roman man had ever come across a woman's wrath such as hers. Boudica deserves to be celebrated and known!

[hannahfaith]

I absolutely loved seeing a depiction of Boudicca. I'm ethnically Celtic and British, and always had such a hard time appreciating my pale skin and light coloring. Seeing paintings and portraits of Boudicca and our shared fearures years ago was the first things that ever made me feel beautiful. Thank you so much for this absolute masterpiece ❤

[deirdregibbons]

I like that you portrayed Boudica riding a horse. The Iceni tribe was known for breeding excellent riding and chariot horses, and horses were a symbol of their people. Boudica is depicted as leading her people in a chariot, but she may also have been skilled at riding horseback.

[marjorieroman]

Tears are in my eyes as I discover that recreation... In my mind, I pictured Boudica very close to what you've done, a raw "beauty" with that fierce appearance and stern look after all she came through as a woman, as a mother, as a queen and warrior!... Amazing credible work...

[adelemarieish]

Boudica is one of my heroines. Your recreation of what she might have looked like is beautiful. Thank you so much.

[elletoki]

WOW! The way you manage, even without any surviving portraits, still capture the very essence of the person. It amazes me every time, AMAZIIIING!

[karencook]

Thank you for doing Boudica. I have read some about her, an amazing woman! Freedom is something we all need to be serious about. Especially these days. She was right, it is much more important than comfort and prosperity!

[chrismulholland]

Beautiful representation of Boudica. Looks so very like my Irish family by marriage. They can trace themselves back centuries. I appreciate you avoiding describing the torments of Boudica and her daughters. Nothing is gained from doing that and we all got the picture. Thanks again.

[Agrona]

Boudica has always been one of my favorite Celtic people. I also had tears in my eyes when I saw the recreation! To see her move and look at me, her slight smile, simply took my breath away! Thank you for that!! ❤

[FredTheFicusAndFriends]

What an incredible recreation... it strangely actually made me a bit emotional. She looks identical, and I mean, like you drew her from life, a woman I used to work with, SJ, or Sarah Jane. I worked with her in Logistics, in a warehouse, it was a very very physical job and almost broke me. She is a natural leader, every inch very Boudica-like, strong willed, and physically able to do anything the men could do, and then some. Well done... wowzer.

[katherinecooper]

I researched Boudica when in graduate school. There is a statue of her in London. She was an amazing woman. Thank you for sharing her story.

[GirtheAlienGoldfish]

She had the fierce look of an angry mother and I adore your recreation of her.
It's too bad we'll never truly know what she looked like, but I'm sure this is pretty close!

[rachelann]

I got chills listening to her biography and welled up with tears. What an amazing woman she was!

[crdvbh]

Boudica! The often overlooked warrior queen. There's a fascinating Time Team documentary about her - she was a very interesting figure, far more interesting than any film about her. Which is why I'm hoping the upcoming Boudicca film does her story justice, and captures her and the Iceni in all their morally ambiguous glory.

[roxanneaspogard]

Boudica the great, still remembered and honoured, and you did a great job giving her the possible face she may have had. Lovely, and wonderful video.

[bethwoods]

This is amazing, i've lived in Norfolk/East Anglia all my life and grew up learning about Boudica and the Iceni- so lovely to see a piece of home and history brought to life! Thank you!

[robertroth]

The most plausible visual depiction of Boudica yet offered, in my view. Well done.

[alyrios]

She looks so majestic and, warrior-like in your recreation.