Cymru

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Cymru

	Caer Gai
	Caerleon
	Castell Henllys
	Din Lligwy
	Dolaucothi Gold Mine
	Doward
	Ynys Mon

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Cymru

General Urbs

Cymru (Wales) is a land of rugged natural beauty and abundant natural resources. The early Celtic inhabitants found ample hills for their forts, copper, tin and coal to be mined, and pleasant valleys for farming. The Romans made only token inroads in conquering this region. Like the Picts in the north, the Cymry were fierce fighters and could vanish back into the hills at a moment's notice.

Land of the Dragon

The last bastion of the true Britons. This segment of western Albion was populated in the first millenium BC by a combination of Mediterranian and Nordic Celts. Quite possibly, these were smaller tribes or clans who had been pushed across the isle of Albion by new waves of immigrants or been driven out of Gaul for the same reasons. Being Celts, there was undoubtedly a share of raids, feuds and rivalries. However, there was also apparently a high level of intermarriage. By the time the Romans arrived, they found a homogenous race speaking a form of the Brythonic Celtic tongue and calling themselves Cymry. The coming of the Romans set off another wave of immigration. However, since most of the good land was already taken, these people settled in the rugged mountain valleys.

The first historical reference to a Celtic tribe in Wales was from Tacitus telling of Ostorius Scapula leading an army against the Decangi in 48 AD. After that, the Romans fought extensively with the Silures and Ordovices, two powerful Welsh tribes. The strong contrasts in the Welsh landscape proved to be just as challenging as the inhabitants of its hillforts and farmstead communities. Yet Wales never became a single nation but remained independent as separate tribal communities or kingdoms, divided by geographical features. The tribes or clans only came together in times of extreme stress, such as the Roman threat in the first century AD.

The native population maintained autonomy throughout Roman occupation. Little is recorded about them although it is likely that the Silures, Ordovices and Demetae continued their tribal chieftainships within the Roman era. Toward the end of this period there was a migration of Irish from the west and British from the east, testing these tribal boundaries and requiring new borders to emerge but based on the old tribes.

Great Orme Copper Mine
Until the late twentieth century, the old mines at Great Orm were thought to be of Roman origin. However, more modernn excavations and archaeological techniques have uncovered some four miles of underground tunnels. The earliest of these have been dated to 1860 BC. Experts estimate that nearly 2,000 tons of copper were extracted during the Bronze Age. This would make Great Orme the the primary source of copper during this period. It is interesting to note that some of the tunnels are so small that they would only admit a small child. Apparently, the whole family made their living below ground.

Offa's Dike

Another interesting feature of the Welsh landscape is Offa's Dike. This structure was built in the latter half or the eighth century by Offa (or Uffa), the Saxon King of Mercia. Although it is not continuous, it runs the full length of the border between the two countries, using mountains and other natural features in some places. The dike was 18 to 20 feet deep, and about the same width. The purpose was to isolate the wild Welshmen from the rest of Saxon England. It is told that Offa decreed that any Welshman caught on the wrong side of the border would be summarily executed. I am sure that the Welsh returned the favor.

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