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The coming of Rome
The invasion of Britain took place in
AD 43; however, Wales did not come under attack until AD 48, when
Ostorius Scapula reached the river Dee. At this time, Ostorius
Scapula would have encountered the Decangli tribe. While in the
Northwest and Central areas of Wales the Ordovices were in control.
Although most of South and eastern Britain
had become part of the Roman Empire, Wales was not in full control
of Rome until AD79. Although Roman soldiers had occupied most
of Wales in AD 60, it was not garrisoned. Suetonius Paulinius
led the XX Legion and some of the XIV into North Wales; after
penetrating into Eryri, he crossed over to Ynys Môn (Anglesey)
to wreak havoc and kill off this centre of Druidism. However,
the Icenian uprising, under Boudicca needed to be quelled, the
legions withdrew to reinforce those in East Anglia. The failure
of the Romans to undertake full control, due to the various outside
factors, meant that a further campaign had to be instigated in
the late 70's in order to enforce roman rule and subjugate the
Welsh tribes. The campaign of 78 to finally defeat and subjugate
the Ordovices was led by Frontius.
The first impact of the Romans on Eryri was therefore
the temporary camps made by them as protection during the campaigns. In North
Wales the main legionary fort was Chester; the auxiliary forts carried out
the influence of the legion; one of the best examples is found at Segontium
(Caernarfon). These were built to subdue local inhabitants and to lessen the
possibilities of a build up of tribes to make attacks further east.
Metalled roads linked the forts; it is
perhaps these lines of communications that are the most striking
feature of Roman occupation. These roads sometimes followed ancient
linkages of travel and were still used hundreds of years after
the collapse of Roman rule.
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Indeed many present day roads follow the
routes established by the Romans and thus in turn earlier inhabitants.
One reason why sections of Roman roads may be 'lost' is that they
have been hidden or disturbed by subsequent road building. The temporary
encampment at Pen y Gwryd (O.S. 660 557) shows that the Romans followed
existing routeways. Although, they did not establish a road along
this stretch of terrain and down the Llanberis Pass it is certain
that they used the valley for movement through the mountains.
Only a small amount of the
territories 'conquered' in Wales, were thought to have any worth
to the Romans. The remoteness of the locations, due to the difficulty
of communications, even on their roads; coupled to the fierceness
of the indigenous population in some areas did not prove to be
conducive to Romanisation. In mid and Northwest Wales almost no
Roman influence has been found in the structure and layout of
their dwellings. Although pieces of pottery and coins are found
at many of the circular house groups in Arfon and the Lleyn, the
inhabitants of these remote areas would only have very slight
contact with Romanised peoples, let alone Romans.
Thus the area around Segontium
was never urbanised, there may have been a settlement of 'camp
followers' outside the fort of Segontium; however, this was not
planned on a Roman basis. All other settlements and groupings
of roundhouses kept or took up the pre-roman form. The climate
of the period could be classified as the later part of the sub-Atlantic
phase. In this climate dense woodlands of oak and birch still
dominated large tracts, not an inviting place to try and settle,
combined with the general hostility of the local Ordovices. It
must be noted that very few changes took place in the area compared
with Southern Britain. The area was still very much, as it would
have been during the Iron Age. Some have likened this particular
situation to the U.S. Army establishing forts in Native American
Indian Territory.
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Thus in Northern Eryri, the major Roman influence,
if not the only one, we can see is in the development and changes
taking place at Segontium. The fort seems to have undergone four
periods of development. Its initial construction, a timber walled
fort, probably took place in AD 78; and this was a large enough
garrison for 1,000 troops to be housed there. However, by about
140 the garrison had become stone walled, both local stone and sandstones
from nearer to Chester were used in its construction. A little after
this time, there is some evidence of damage and burning; this points
to an attack being made upon the fort. The third stage of building
took place between 198 and 209, at this time a bathhouse was installed;
for defence; a tower and a guardhouse were built. At about 369 there
is some evidence of damage once again, to strengthen the forts defences,
the surrounding ditch was doubled, and then bridges were built to
allow access over these to the gateways. At the end of the Roman
occupation, the defence of such an outlying post was not thought
to be of importance; it seems as if most of the garrison was with
drawn in AD 383 with a full evacuation of the fort taking place
in 390.
There are a number of sites in the area
that date from this period, showing a steady growth in the formation
of farmsteads. In Llanberis there are scattered round houses and
huts at Ceunant-bach (O.S. 576 587) and Yr Aelgarth (O.S. 596
586). In the locales surrounding Llanrug and Llandeiniolen, at
the mouth of the valley, over 15 sites of round houses and huts
have been identified. Some of which are planned and a few may
have been quite heavily fortified or stockaded also.
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