Caer Rufeinig Segontium

Roman stronghold that passed into Welsh legend

Established nearly two millennia ago, this strategically-placed fort at the edge of the Roman Empire bustled with life for more than three hundred years.

Segontium was founded by Agricola in AD77 after he brutally suppressed a rebellion by the native tribe known as the Ordovices. Designed to hold a 1,000-strong regiment of auxiliary infantrymen, it was linked by Roman roads to the main legionary bases at Chester and Caerleon.

Thanks to excavated coins we know the Romans stayed until about AD394 – no other fort in Wales was held so long. Segontium not only controlled access to fertile and mineral-rich Anglesey but later helped defend the Welsh coast against Irish pirates.

Long after the final departure of the legions Segontium passed into Welsh legend as Caer aber Seint – ‘the fort at the mouth of the Saint river’ – mentioned in The Dream of Macsen Wledig, one of the ancient tales of the Mabinogion.

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