Cylchgronau Cymru

FOURTH SERIES.—VOL. X, NO. XXXVIII. APRIL 1879. ON A WOODEN FEMALE HEAD FOUND AT LLANIO. Llanio has been generally considered, since the days of Camden, to be the probable site of the Roman station Loventium. Situate near the junction of the Roman road from Muridunum (Carmarthen) with the road known as Sarn Helen, which proceeded from the main line at Llanvair Ar-y-bryn by the Gogofau mines, Llanycrws, and Llanvair Clydogan, and onward to the Cardiganshire lead mines, it must have formed an im¬ portant station to secure the safe transit of the mineral wealth of the district. The subject of the Roman roads in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire received much elucidation from the late Mr. Rees1 of Tonn, but few will concur in the reasons, which he assigns for placing Loventium at Llandovery rather than at Llanio. H. Llwyd, in his additions to Cardiganshire, in Bishop Gibson's edition of Camden, after noticing fully the Roman inscriptions which he met with at Llanio Ysaf, proceeds to say: "Besides Roman inscriptions they find here sometimes their coins, and frequently dig up bricks and larger freestones neatly wrought. The place where these antiquities are found is called Kaer Kestilh, 1 See his paper, "Loventium", Archceologia Camhrensis, vol. iv, Fourth Series ; and as to the Roman roads in connection, ibid., 287; " Castle Collen", vol. i, p. 58 ; and " Llangammarch", vol. iii, p. 165, Fourth Series. - 4th seb., vol. x. 6