Prestatyn Roman Bath
The Prestatyn Roman Bath lies five miles north of the main Roman road that ran east to west across north Wales, starting at Chester. The baths were built as an adjunct to the Roman administrative complex that oversaw the region’s lead mining industry. It was also home to the 20th legion. A settlement had been located at Prestatyn before the arrival of the Romans, as evidenced by bronze working, round houses, and an infant burial dating to 30 BC. Roman attributes have been found from 70 AD, and the village continued to be occupied through the 4th century. Today, the baths are the only remains of the ancient settlement, the rest of the site having been covered over or destroyed by a housing development. The bathhouse was built around 120 AD and expanded in 150 AD with the addition of Read more…
Roman Roads (Bwlch y Ddeufaen)
Roman roads crisscross Britain and for centuries were the best way to travel through the country. In an earlier post, I discussed the routes across the Welsh and English countryside during the Middle Ages. Many of these roads were based in the Roman roads, built between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. In Wales, the Romans built roads but also improved old ones, which wasn’t their normal operating procedure. It was forced upon them, however, because they found the land so inhospitable that it made it difficult for them to lay down their straight roads. The Roman roads lasted such a long time because the Roman legions who built them designed them to do exactly that. The Romans built over 53,000 miles of roads, intended to connect every corner of their empire ultimately with Rome. Britain, of course, was one Read more…
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