Roman History in the area

[Hugo]

'First Roman fortlet' found on Anglesey using geo survey

I've been interested in Roman history in Britain for a long time now and knowing this, my friend Tellytubby sent me the link on the Fortlet recently found in Anglesey.
David Hopewell, of Gwynedd Archaeological Trust said fortlets are usually linked by roads, 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) apart, and it is hoped, therefore, the latest find will lead to other discoveries.    Previously it was believed that there were no Roman roads on Anglesey but if you speak to locals on the island and look at O/S maps there are indications of present roads or lanes being built on the lines of old Roman roads.
I've walked along the Roman road from Caerhun to Llanfairfechan many times and enjoyed reading David Hopewell's book "Roman roads in North West Wales" and had a chat with him after reading the book.  It was fascinating to learn some of the new techniques that they are using to discover these ancient relics

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-34942733

[Blongb]

Thanks for that Hugo, most interesting. 

[Hugo]

You are welcome Blongb,  it'll be interesting to see what happens next on Anglesey

[Blongb]

I looked at Cemlyn on Google Earth Hugo and was able to identify the fort from the hedge boundaries. It's just possable to see very slight markings in the field but without the geophysical survey to guide me, I wouldn't have given the field a second glance. Well done indeed to the Bangor Team. 

[Hugo]

The technology they have now to trace these type of things is incredible.   I've read about the Roman Roads in N Wales and on my first walking outing with a retirement group in Pentre Halkyn I came across what I thought was a small but classic section of a Roman road there.
It had the camber,ditches either side and the tell tale nettles growing over the structure.
I didn't have a camera with me but I made a mental note of the location and then hurried up to catch the others who were ahead of me.
About 3 years later I went back there with a friend but could find no trace of it so I forgot about it until I went to see the site of Owain Glyndwr's Palace at Sycharth and spoke to someone who was interested in the same thing and she told me that what I had seen was in fact the Roman road but the owner of the land had covered it with soil to prevent people going there to look at the road.      :rage:

[Hugo]

I had a phone call from Tellytubby  a short while ago informing me that Weatherman Walking is on BBC Wales at 7.30 pm and one of the walks featured is a walk along the Roman road on the Carneddau.   It could be quite interesting and I've recorded it just in case I want to see it again

[Hugo]

I watched the programme last night but was a bit disappointed as it wasn't what I was expecting.    There was no reference to the original Roman road which can be seen in places just south of the existing track and as much as I admired the person in the wheel chair wanting to revisit the area it's not exactly wheel chair friendly.
The ground is very uneven and when I last walked there, there was a difficult ford to cross because of severe erosion caused by the water and weather conditions.   In fact I don't know how they got the wheel chair across it unless the TV  crew carried it across the stream

[Blongb]

I wouldn't want to carry him or his wheelchair down down if he had any sort of malfunction. It's good to encourage wheelchair users to get out and about but use some common sense and keep it within reason.

[Hugo]

The views from the Roman road on a good day are breathtaking but the weather can just turn and it soon becomes a most inhospitable place.   I've  been there a few times when the weather has suddenly turned and it's isolated with nowhere to shelter so you have to get away from there asap.
The old Roman road leads down into Rhiwiau Uchaf in Llanfairfechan and two Roman Milestones have been found there. There is a concrete replica of the original Hadrian's milestone in the field near the riding stables and you can appreciate  the size of it when you see Tellytubby standing next to it.
 The Hadrian Milestone was set up in 121 AD in the reign of Hadrian. It is a tall cylindrical well cut stone of a type found throughout the Roman Empire. It stood at Rhiwiau Uchaf, on the Roman Road between Canovium (Caerhun) and Segontium (Caernarfon).
The Severan Milestone was also found in the same field and was originally set up in 208 AD in the reign of Septimius Severus
Another milestone was found in Madryn Farm where the road turned west to Segontium and part of the road was unearthed recently when excavations took place near the buttress to the bridge that crossed the river at Aber

[Blongb]

I was in the British Museum looking at the Rosetta Stone when one of those Roman Mile Markers from that stretch of road caught my eye in the next cabinet 

[Hugo]

Knowing of my interest in Roman history my friend Tellytubby sent me a link about long-lost Roman roads discovered in the UK using the latest hi tech  available at present.
It reminded me of my conversation with David Hopewell  after reading his book "Roman roads in North West Wales"    In the book it stated that the exact route of the Roman Road from Aber westwards to Pentir  hasn't been proven yet.
I had been lead to believe that the Roman Road went through the fields behind Tyn Hendre and have passed that way thousands of times on my way to work in Bangor.  The slip road from the A55 to Tal Y Bont looks directly on to the fields but I could never see any evidence of a Roman Road there.    That was until one day following a light coating of snow I could see the definite terracing of a road going right through the field.
When I discussed this with David Hopewell he advised me that they knew about this but hadn't had the conclusive proof yet and then explained Lidar Data to me.  Using light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology the precision technology can detect differences in the height of the land of as little as 5cm, making it ideal for detecting hidden structures buried under the soil.
 These recent discoveries could just be a drop in the ocean of finds waiting to be unearthed, with more than 11 terabytes of Lidar surveys waiting to be analysed and may be able to help with finding the undiscovered rods in N Wales


http://dailym.ai/1Jk2yml

[SteveH]

The archaeological secrets unearthed in North Wales that shed new light on our past
Each discovery has taught us more about the region's fascinating history

From roman era skeletons to a suspected 3,500-year-old Bronze Age canoe and an Iron Age building understood to be more than 2,500 years old - each discovery has taught us even more about the region's fascinating history.

Here, we take a look at some of the most recent biggest archaeological discoveries in North Wales that have helped unearth parts of the region’s extensive and curious past.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/archaeological-secrets-unearthed-north-wales-19506972

[SteveH]

A RARE find dating to the Bronze Age likely linked to copper mines at the Great Orme has been declared treasure.

The bronze items were declared treasure on Wednesday, June 1, by Ms Katie Sutherland, Assistant Coroner for North Wales (East & Central) at Ruthin.

The two mould pieces were found by George Borrill while metal-detecting on rough pastureland in Conwy on August 12, 2017.

https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/20181177.bronze-age-treasure-linked-great-orme-copper-mines-found-conwy/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Ancient roundhouses and curious artefacts unearthed near North Wales business park
It is thought to follow the course of a Roman road


https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/ancient-roundhouses-curious-artefacts-unearthed-30104141

[Hugo]

Some years ago I remember watching one of Fishlock's walks on the TV.       It was filmed in Anglesey and started from Llanidan near the banks of the Menai Strairts.
Fishlock's theory was that the Roman Invasion of Anglesey started from this area and not from the eastern section of the Straits.    The Welsh people had names for each field and his evidence for this was that the fields had names that indicated that a battle had occurred in that area.    He reeled off a number of these names which translated in to English were Field of the long battle, field of the lament, field of the Centurion and I seem to remember field of a thousand graves
The reason I mention it now is because Cambrian posted something very interesting on here under the topic of Parish Bountary Stones.     If you put in Google " Tithe Maps of Wales"   you can see all these field names and it's quite addictive if you are interested in local history
I had been told a story by my neighbour. although I cannot confirm it is correct.     He said that a number of years ago Archaeologists were using ground radar to search in a field in Newborough for the site of Prince Llewelyn's palace.     They were having no luck and a local person watching them asked what were they searching for so they told him and the local replied "you're looking in the wrong field"         He pointed over the road to another field and said that is where it is, that's Cae Llys  (  Court field ) and when they moved to the other field they found the ruins straight away
It's surprising how much detail is shown in these maps and it's well worth a look