ME077

Dol-ddinas Roman Earthworks  

 

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Trawsfynydd  

273496  

337884  

Defence  

Practice Camp  

Roman  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The remains of five Roman practice camps, associated with the fort at Tomen-y-mur, lie in a wide valley to the N and E of Dol-ddinas. They were discovered from the air and were partially excavated in 1958-9. All are square with carefully rounded corners and were constructed by digging V-shaped ditches and throwing the earth inwards to form banks. These banks are now less than 0.3m high. ME077A The smallest of the group and the most difficult to locate, lies away to the W of the main area, on the NE slope of a small ridge. The upper half of the camp consisting of two corners and a W rampart approximately 22m long, is clear, with the ditch clearly defined by a line of reed growth; the lower half is lost in a small marsh. From the air the complete plan of the camp appears as a square, the dimensions of which were approximately 22m by 22m. (Note: this is Camp V as published by Jones & Knowles in the Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies) ME077B This camp has overall dimensions of approximately 44m by 44m. The NE side is the most clearly defined and there are traces of a possible entrance in the SW side. On the NE side, the ditch is approximately 1.4m wide at the ground surface. A cross-section dug in December 1958 revealed a turf rampart approximately 1.5m wide and a ditch approximately 0.6m wide with a maximum depth of 0.58m. (Jones & Knowles Camp II) ME077C The SE side and parts of the NW side survive, the camp's dimensions being approximately 44m by 44m. The ditch on the SE side is approximately 2.1m wide though it has probably been enlarged by water action. There appears to be traces of an entrance 2.4 - 3m wide in the middle of the NE side, but it is not certain. (Jones & Knowles Camp IV) ME077D Measures approximately 34m by 34m. In many ways the best preserved of the five, with the rampart and ditch visible on all four sides and traces of an entrance with an outer defensive bank in the middle of the SW side. A cross-section cut in August 1959 produced clear traces of a turf rampart 2m wide and a steeply cut ditch 0.55m deep. (Jones & Knowles Camp I) ME077E This camp has overall dimensions of approximately 44m by 44m. It is preserved in its entirety except on the NW side where a modern drainage ditch has been cut along the line of the Roman ditch. Unfortunately this has destroyed the entrance and its outer defensive bank, indications of which appear on the (1958) air photograph. (Jones & Knowles Camp III) The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Roman military practice and training. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structures themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.