Segontium
Encyclopedia
Segontium is a Roman fort for a Roman auxiliary force, located on the outskirts of Caernarfon
in Gwynedd
, north Wales
.
It probably takes its name from the nearby River Seiont
, and may be related to the Segontiaci
, a British tribe mentioned by Julius Caesar
. The fort was founded by Agricola
in 77 or 78 AD after he had conquered the Ordovices
. It was the main Roman fort in the north of Roman Wales and was designed to hold about a thousand auxiliary
infantry. It was connected by a Roman road
to the Roman legion
ary base at Chester
, Deva Victrix
. Unlike the more recent Caernarfon Castle
alongside the Seiont estuary, Segontium is located on higher ground giving a good view of the Menai Strait
s.
The original timber defences were rebuilt in stone in the first half of the 2nd century AD. An inscription on an aqueduct from the time of the Emperor Septimius Severus
indicates that at that time it was garrisoned by Cohors I Sunicorum, which would have originally been levied among the Sunici of Gallia Belgica
.
The site is now cut through by the A4085 road to Beddgelert, but the remains of most of the buildings are preserved. There is a visitor centre and a small museum exhibiting finds made in and around the fort. Outside the fort, the remains of a civilian settlement have been found, together with a Roman temple
of Mithras, the Caernarfon Mithraeum
and a cemetery.
Segontium is implicit in the name of the surrounding town, because "caer" means fort. The name of the town of Caernarfon is the corrupted form of "Caer yn ar-Fon", which means "Fort in (the land) opposite Mon".
, Macsen (who can be identified with Magnus Maximus
, who made a bid for Roman emperor in 383) dreams of a beautiful woman who turns out to be at "the fort at the mouth of the Seiont".
Wallace Breem
's novel Eagle in the Snow
begins and ends in post-Roman Segontium, and references the temple of Mithras.
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, north Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
It probably takes its name from the nearby River Seiont
River Seiont
Afon Seiont is a river in Gwynedd, Wales which runs into the Menai Strait.Its source is the outflow of Llyn Padarn near Llanberis, and it flows out in a generally northwest direction. Between the outflow and the village of Llanrug it is known as the Afon Rhythallt, changing its name just after the...
, and may be related to the Segontiaci
Segontiaci
The Segontiaci were a tribe of Iron Age Britain encountered by Julius Caesar during his second expedition to Britain in 55 BC. They surrendered to him as he was campaigning against Cassivellaunus in the Thames Valley, which suggests they were also based in the south-east...
, a British tribe mentioned by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. The fort was founded by Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
in 77 or 78 AD after he had conquered the Ordovices
Ordovices
The Ordovices were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain, before the Roman invasion of Britain. Its tribal lands were located in present day Wales and England between the Silures to the south and the Deceangli to the north-east...
. It was the main Roman fort in the north of Roman Wales and was designed to hold about a thousand auxiliary
Auxiliaries (Roman military)
Auxiliaries formed the standing non-citizen corps of the Roman army of the Principate , alongside the citizen legions...
infantry. It was connected by a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
to the Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
ary base at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
. Unlike the more recent Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
alongside the Seiont estuary, Segontium is located on higher ground giving a good view of the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
s.
The original timber defences were rebuilt in stone in the first half of the 2nd century AD. An inscription on an aqueduct from the time of the Emperor Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
indicates that at that time it was garrisoned by Cohors I Sunicorum, which would have originally been levied among the Sunici of Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of Gallia Belgica, the Belgae, consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes...
.
The site is now cut through by the A4085 road to Beddgelert, but the remains of most of the buildings are preserved. There is a visitor centre and a small museum exhibiting finds made in and around the fort. Outside the fort, the remains of a civilian settlement have been found, together with a Roman temple
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples are among the most visible archaeological remains of Roman culture, and are a significant source for Roman architecture. Their construction and maintenance was a major part of ancient Roman religion. The main room housed the cult image of the deity to whom the temple was...
of Mithras, the Caernarfon Mithraeum
Caernarfon Mithraeum
The Caernarfon Mithraeum is a Roman Temple to the Roman god Mithras . The temple was located 137 metres north-east of the Roman castra of Segontium on the outskirts of modern Caernarfon in Gwynedd, Wales....
and a cemetery.
Segontium is implicit in the name of the surrounding town, because "caer" means fort. The name of the town of Caernarfon is the corrupted form of "Caer yn ar-Fon", which means "Fort in (the land) opposite Mon".
Segontium in mythology and fiction
In Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig ("The dream of Macsen Wledig"), one of the Four Independent Tales in the MabinogionMabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
, Macsen (who can be identified with Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
, who made a bid for Roman emperor in 383) dreams of a beautiful woman who turns out to be at "the fort at the mouth of the Seiont".
Wallace Breem
Wallace Breem
Wallace Breem was a British librarian and author. He was the Librarian and Keeper of Manuscripts of the Inner Temple Law Library, and wrote historical novels, including Eagle in the Snow ....
's novel Eagle in the Snow
Eagle in the Snow
Eagle in the Snow is a historical fiction novel. Written in 1970 by Wallace Breem, the novel is set in Britannia and Germania in the late 4th and early 5th century, and centres on the Roman general Paulinus Gaius Maximus, a Mithraic in an age of Christianization...
begins and ends in post-Roman Segontium, and references the temple of Mithras.