The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1920-07-21
SEEKING CAESAR
IN ROMAN RUINS
Buried Fortress OF Segontium
Near Castle, To Be Excavat-
ed; of Great Historic
Interest

castle Is grim anu tuFul pie plant
ed Icy a grim king IN token OF his
might; erected, so Pennant says. by
the forced labor of Welsh peasants on
money wrlng from the Welsh chief
tains who had failed In the struggle
against King Edward |. II dates back
some seven hundred years In British
history, but compared . .1h the Roman
fortress of Segontium IL Is thing Of
Yesterday. Ernest ii. Ram tells the
boston Transcript Long before the
Saxon. Dane or Norman trod the soil
OF Britain the land echoed TO the
heavy tread OF armed Roman legions
as they pushed on toward the setting
sun In their attempt TO establish the
dominion Of the Caesars over the
whole Of western Europe. They laid
the course OF Waiting street diagonal
Is across the country. through ST. Az
bans (yerolamium). Dunstable tDnro-
eobrivael and Towcester Uacth-
dorum) TO Chester (Deva) on line
now followed by the London and
Northwestern railway. Through
Chester they passed on TO Carnarson
(Segontium) and struggled across the
Menal straits, over a track now fol-
lowed by the "wild Irishman," the
London Northwestern mail train, as
IL swirls on to Holyhead.
The Light Of the Spade In History.
At Segontium was established the
last Roman fort. at the terminus or
their military road in North Wales
Ii is this Roman fort which British
archaeologists now propose to exca-
vate II the sufficient sum OF $4,000
can be raised to defray the expenses
Of the work.
There are few 4 obscure periods
in the Of Wales than that OF
the Roman occupation, and II is not
to be expected that much light Will he
thrown upon II by literary records
But the spade may give Us what we
seek in vain from the written or print
ed page, and excavation has already
Yielded valuable results from Caer-
went, Gelligaer. Casten Collen and
Caersws. So far, however. nothing
has been done in the northwest cor
ner Of the principality. that region OF
Gwynnedd which occupies SO large
space In the history OF medieval
Wales. The proposed excavation OF
Segonuum may enable this gap TO be
filed with accurate II not extensive
information.
The Roman fort Of Segontium took
its name from the river (Aow the
Saint) on which 1t stood, and occu-
pied the higher ground behind the
present town OF Carnarvon. where In
a later age WAS built the church OF
uanbeblig. 1t was known to the
Welsh as "Caer Saint or y Gaer
yn A-fon." While inferior in import
ance to the legionary stations at lsca
and Deva. It was a fortress OF some
consequence, covering about Eve and
a half acres and serving. as ] have
said. as the terminus OF the military
road which ran through North Wales.
And | may add that from Aberglas-
iyn and Gortmadoe, In the neighbor-
hood of Carnarvon. Prince Mad0r ap
Owaln Gwynedd is said In Welsh
legend to have mustered his forces
and sailed in ten ships for the cOloni-
zatlon OF North America, toward the
end Of the twelfth century.
A Belgian Garrison.
An inscriptiop OF about 200 A. n.
chronicles the fact that at that time
the water supply ~ the place was put
in order by the first cohort Of Sunicl,
and this auxiliary force, drawn or
partly drawn from Belgium, may have
furnished the regular garrison OF Sc
contIum. No attempt has hitherto
been made to examine the site sys-
tematically. and, as was said by the
late Doctor Haverfeld--than whom
no greater authority on Roman Brit.
ain lived-"The spade alone can de-
termlne the successive stages which
Roman Carnarvon may have expert
enced. This much is certain. There
IS no site in North Wales. and only
one or two others in the whole penln-
sula, which are so likely. II properly
and Systematically explored, TO throw
light on the condition Of the country
in the later Roman and earliest post.
Roman ages"
Chance finds that have already been
made are of considerable historical
value. particularly tallsman OF
charm In the form Of thin plate OF
gold-bearing magical characters and
Greek inscription calling on sundry
spirits to protect one Alphlanos from
evil. II is probable that 1t was made
in Alexandria in the second century.
What had been its wanderings before
II was crushed among the ruins OF
Segontium!
The fra agment of similar charm
r1ay be seen at York. and these make
the only two Of their kind TO be found
In Britain.
Another find was the famous god
crosshow brooch OF the fourth century,
which Is now preserved In the Carnar
Won town library.
In order to secure the land for the
purpose OF excavation, number oi
people interested In Welsh's archeol-
ogy, and with one exception resident
In the counties of Carnarvon and
Anglesey. purchased the areas near
the "waterworks" in order that they
might be saved from the hands OF the