Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-07-31
|FFKING CAESAR
ZIN ROMAN RUINS

Went, Gelligaer, Castell Colen and
Caersws. SO far, however. nothing
has been done in the northwest cor
ner of the principality, that region of
GwyDnedd which occupies so large a
space in the history of medieval
Wales. The proposed excavation Of
Segontium may enable this gap to be
filed with accurate if not extensive
information.
The Roman fort Of Segontium took
its name from the river (now the
SainO on which it stood, and occu-
pied the higher ground behind the
present town Of Carnarv0n, where in
a later age was built the church of
LIanbeblig. 1t was known 10 the
Welsh as "Cacr Saint" or "Y Gaer
w Arfon." While inferior in import
ance to the legionary stations at lsca
and Deva it was a fortress of some
consequence, covering about five and
half acres and serving. as l have
said, as the terminus Of the military
road which ran through North Wales
And may add that from Aberglas-
lyn and GOrtmadoe, in the neighbOr-
hood of Carnarvou. Prince Mador ap
Owain Gwyuedd is said In Welsh
legend to have mustered his forces
and sailed I'm ten ships for the coloni-
zation of North America. toward the
end of the twelfth century.
A Belgian Garrison.
An inscription of about 200 A. n
chronicles the fact that at that tine
the water supply of the place was put
in order by the first cOhort of Suniei
and this auxiliary force. drawn or
partly drawn from Belgium may have
furnished the regular garrison of Sc
g0ntium. No attempt has hitherto
been made TO examine the site syS-
tematically, and, as was said by the
late Doctor Haverfield-than whom
no greater authority on Roman Brit
ain lived-'"rhe spade alone can de
termine 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 PENN
sula, which are so likely, if properly
and Systematically explored, to throw
light on he condition of the country
in the la er Roman and earliest post
Roman ages"
Chance finds that have already been
made are OF considerable historical
value. particularly talisman or
charm in the form Of thin plate Of
goid-bearing magical characters and
Greek inscription calling on sundry
spirits 10 protect one Aiphianos from
evil 1t is probable that it was made
in Alexandria in the second century
What had been it's wanderings before
il was crushed among the ruins of
Segontium,
The fragment of a similar charm
may he seen at York and these make
the only two Of their kind 10 he found
in Britain.
Another find was the famous gold
cr0ssbow 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
people interested in Welsh's archeol-
ogy and with one exception resident
ia the counties Of Carnaryon and
Anglesey. purchased the areas near
the "WaterWorks" in order thar they
might be saved from the hands of the
builders and be Systematically eX
plored. Three acres are within The
wall of the fortress. and half an acre
lies without IT, In addition to these
rwo areas. it is probable that permis-
sion viii be obtained 10 excayate
about three and half acres imme-
dialely adjoining the main site on the
northwest and northeast. and the
vicar o. Carnarvon has stated that he
will put no difficulty in the way OF
carving out excavation in the vicar
age garden. which lies within the wall
Of Segontium and covers about an
acre and half. The land available
for excavation IS therefore from three
ana half to eight acres in extent Of
which the greater part lies within
the walls of the fortress In view of
the importance and extent OF the
work, the services Of an expert ex-
cav8tor viii be obtained. and he will
work under instructions from Prof. r.
C.. Bosan0uet The work will be
spread 0ser two or more years. and
results will be keenly followed by
archae0logists in both hemispheres. 1t
Il anticipated that students and many