Caer Llugwy (also known as Bryn y Gefeiliau) is an auxiliary fort situated on a low alluvial terrace in a bend of the Afon Llugwy, controlling the east–west route through the Ogwen-Llugwy valley between Segontium (Caernarfon) and Canovium (Caerhun). It appears to have been established in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD and occupied, with possible interruptions, into the mid-2nd century, with some evidence of activity perhaps continuing later; it covered roughly 1.6 hectares, consistent with a standard cohort-sized garrison.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The fort formed part of the network of Flavian and Trajanic-Hadrianic installations consolidating Roman control over the mountainous interior of north-west Wales, plugging a gap on the road between the coastal fort at Segontium and the Conwy valley. Its position in the heart of Snowdonia underlines the strategic effort invested in policing this difficult upland terrain and its native communities.
Excavations by Mortimer Wheeler in 1920–22 revealed the defences, principia, and traces of timber and later stone buildings, along with hypocaust fragments, tile, pottery, coins, and ironwork suggesting on-site metalworking; an external bath-house was identified nearby. The site has seen little major modern excavation since, and the published Wheeler reports remain the principal source, leaving the fort's
Caer Llugwy (also known as Bryn y Gefeiliau) is an auxiliary fort situated on a low alluvial terrace in a bend of the Afon Llugwy, controlling the east–west route through the Ogwen-Llugwy valley between Segontium (Caernarfon) and Canovium (Caerhun). It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Caer Llugwy is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Kanovium/Conovium (13.4 km), Tomen y Mur amphitheatre (18.7 km), Tomen-y-Mur West Practice Camp II (18.9 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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