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From the land of storytellers, this
is the story of the land itself

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and of the peoples
who've shaped it.

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It's majestic, it's thrilling,

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it's a story that tells us
who we are, where we've come from

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and where we're going.

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It's a tale that's been
30,000 years in the making.

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It shows our country
in ways we've never seen it before.

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From the Ice Age to the
Information Age, this is our story -

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the story of Wales.

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To begin at the beginning,
we need to come here,

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to the western end
of the Gower Peninsula.

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And we need to take a walk
along the cliff top.

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We're following a path taken
by a geologist back in 1823.

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We're following a path taken
by a geologist back in 1823.

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William Buckland
scrambles down to a cave

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you can only get to at low tide.

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Inside, he finds
the bones of a single human being,

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stained by a red tint.

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He thinks they may be
those of a Roman prostitute.

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And he gives her a name, a name that
sticks: the Red Lady of Paviland.

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But the real tale
is a little different

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and it starts 30,000 years ago.

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Our story begins in a time

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when these cliffs are a ridge
above a river plain,

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and the sea
is more than 50 miles way.

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The earliest truly human occupants
of the land we know as Wales

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are burying one of their dead.

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With the body,

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they place ivory rods that they've
carved from tusks of mammoths

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and other treasures
that will lie undisturbed

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until Buckland finds them,
30,000 years later -

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a mammoth's skull,
and a necklace of seashells.

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But the person they're laying
to rest isn't a woman,

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as Buckland thought,
he's a young man in his twenties.

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His is the earliest-known
human burial in Western Europe.

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The loss of a single human life

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counts for something,
even back then.

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The Red Lady of Paviland
does seem very distant

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from the story of Wales and the
Welsh as we've come to know it.

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And yet, the way we think
of that single life and death

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can set the tone for the whole
of our history of Wales.

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One version of our past
would see these people

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as sad and isolated,
in a dark space of their own.

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But I'm determined to remind us

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that they're much more connected
than that,

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sharing a whole way of life with
others across an entire continent.

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That's how they know that
this special pigment, red ochre,

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will stain the bones of the dead.

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And that's how they know that this
is the way to honour the dead,

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burying them
with beautiful things they've made.

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These people are tough.

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Soon, they'll be facing the
challenge of huge climate change.

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Surrounded by mammoths and rhinos,
hyenas and lions,

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these Stone Age hunters
know how to fight to survive.

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'So as we trace our ascent
from cave-dweller to modern citizen,

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'I want us to keep in mind that
Wales has always been home to people

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'who take their chances
at the cutting edge of change,

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'people who are open to new ideas,
and find ways to move forward

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'without forgetting to honour
those who've gone before.

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The story of Wales

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is the experience of each and every
one of us in Wales,

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of anyone who's ever lived
in this country.

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From the Red Lady of Paviland,

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buried in this cave
on the Gower Peninsula

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tens of thousands of years ago,

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to you and me today.

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We are all part
of the story of Wales.

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The climate changes.

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People are driven away from Paviland
and everywhere else in Wales.

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A wall of ice 40 metres thick
comes as far south as the Gower.

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For thousands of years,
the whole of Britain is deserted.

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Eventually, the melting ice

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begins to shape the coastline
we know today.

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The great thaw
brings back plants and animals.

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People follow slowly.

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The trees grow -

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an ancient forest stretching across
much what we know as Wales.

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There are just a few gaps
in the woodland,

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where the deer eat out glades, or
people set fires to make clearings.

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About 6,000 years ago,
agriculture reaches western Britain.

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The farmers begin to clear
parts of the forest

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to grow primitive wheat,

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and to keep sheep and goats,
cattle, pigs and dogs.

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Gradually,
over the course of a thousand years,

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the people who live on this land,
the land we call ours today,

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start to adapt.

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They start to cut through
this vast natural forest,

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and start to tackle the challenges
of the world around them.

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This is the age of the great
religious monuments,

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like Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire.

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They bear witness to cults
of the dead and fertility rituals.

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These people are farming,

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and thinking about the meaning
of their lives.

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Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey.

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The tomb's passage and chamber
are perfectly aligned

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to receive the first rays
of the midsummer sun.

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So these are people who understand
the changing seasons

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and the spinning Earth they live on.

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And we know
because of the distinctive way

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that they decorate this monument

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that they're trading goods and ideas

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with communities as far away
as Orkney and Portugal.

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The people who inhabit this land
are making some big statements.

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Here in Wales,

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we've discovered the largest timber
construction anywhere in Europe

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from that age.

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Thousands of trees are cut down
in order to build it.

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And it tells us that these are
people with complex needs.

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People who want to make
their mark on the world.

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The Hindwell Enclosure is long gone,

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but from the post holes
left behind in the soil,

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we can imagine how it dominates
the Stone Age landscape.

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It covers almost the whole
valley floor

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you could fit the Millennium Stadium
inside eight times over.

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The wooden posts, more than 1,400
of them, stand six metres tall.

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And it's all built
with stone and wood tools.

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There are other signs
of ancient human settlement

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all over the Walton Basin,

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but it's the enclosure
which sends a message far and wide -

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here are people who've organised
themselves on an epic scale.

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The enclosure
isn't a defensive wall,

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and a space this big
isn't for penning animals.

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Experts believe it's used
for feasts and celebrations.

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A hundred generations later,

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you can still see the curved
footprint of its perimeter,

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determining the path of this country
road as it crosses the Basin.

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Just a few centuries
after the building

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of the Walton Basin enclosure,
the world changes.

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Humanity emerges from the Stone Age.

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These days, this is what
Llandudno is all about -

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it's about relaxation
and enjoyment

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and this great tramway, which takes
us all the way up the Great Orme,

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tells us so much
about the Victorian heyday.

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Llandudno is all about leisure.

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This is where people come to escape
the grime of heavy industry.

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And what a contrast to the world
of 4,000 years ago,

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when the heavy industry is right
here, underneath this mountain.

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There's a revolution going on.

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I'm talking about metal, and the
Great Orme is where it's happening.

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The Orme, Penygogarth in Welsh,

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'is still one of the great vantage
points on the North Wales coast.'

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But what lies under my feet is even
more impressive than the view,

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and that is saying something.

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Because under here, we have
something that is world-changing.

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It is copper.

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Now copper is a very beautiful,
very valuable metal.

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But it's not very hard-working -
it's quite soft.

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And here's the magical part -
if you mix copper with tin,

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you end up with something that
is harder and much more useful,

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and that is bronze.

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'Less than 30 years ago,

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'we knew nothing about the
copper mines of the Great Orme,

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'and their place in the great leap
forward of the Bronze Age.

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'They were discovered by chance when
a new car park was being excavated.

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'Sian James began work
as a tour guide here,

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'and found the mines so fascinating

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'that she's gone on to make
a full study of them

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'as an academic archaeologist.'

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Wow. That's quite breathtaking.

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What are we looking at?

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We're in one of the large chambers,

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and this used to be full
of malachite, of copper ore,

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that the miners were digging out.

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Digging it out with little tools,
little implements?

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Bone tools, stone hammers.

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Nothing really more sophisticated
than that.

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About 30,000 animal bones have
been discovered from the mine.

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That's a huge number. It is.

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Originally, these were all
thought to be food waste,

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probably by the miners.

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But I'm not sure you'd actually
want to be eating down here.

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My research over the past few years

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suggests that these are all
linked in with the mining itself.

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I'm sure people will be interested
in what exactly they're digging out,

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because I know that we've got an
example here. Yeah. Just tell us
what we've got here.

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This is malachite,
this is the main copper ore.

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People think of copper today
as this lovely orange metal,

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but this is how they'd have
probably first seen it.

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If you smelt it with charcoal,
a thousand degrees Centigrade,

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and suddenly you get
this wonderful orange metal.

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So, you've got five miles
of tunnels,

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what does this represent worldwide?

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This is the largest prehistoric
copper mine anywhere in the world.

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We've probably only discovered
about 10% of it so far.

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You see some of the little
tunnels going off,

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which are terrifyingly small. Yeah.

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What kind of working conditions
would there have been?

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Are people in there, digging?

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I think possibly children are in
some of those areas.

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We're talking maybe
five or six-year-olds.

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There's just surprises
everywhere you look. Yeah.

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One of the most exciting things,
Sian,

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is to think that this place
was making a product

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which wasn't for sale locally,
it was going much further afield.

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Enough copper came out of here
to make about ten million axes.

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So we're not talking domestic trade,

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00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,800
this is meeting some sort of
demand, maybe internationally.

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00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,640
We're saying that Llandudno
copper was being exported

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and used as weapons
thousands of miles away? Yes.

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4,000 years ago? 4,000 years ago.

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Now that is an eye-opener. It is.

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The industrial scale
of the Great Orme enterprise

203
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demands a really sophisticated
support network

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00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,360
to feed the workforce,
to smelt the copper,

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and to ship out the end product.

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'By contrast, the basic tools
of the trade are ingenious,
but very simple.'

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00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:42,520
This is what?

208
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:45,400
This is a stone hammer, that they've
just gone down to the beach,

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00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,400
picked up a suitable stone, brought
it up here, ready for digging with.

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00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,480
Yeah, that's a very basic
kind of tool, isn't it?
Simple, but very effective.

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00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:55,560
You've got something there
which is a little more delicate.

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00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,200
It is more delicate,
but still very effective.

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00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:02,440
These are two cattle bones
that we found from the mine,
they're both tools.

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00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:03,880
This one's a rib bone.

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00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,720
Rounded on the end,
and would have been used

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00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,600
for chiselling out, digging out
the malachite. Mm-hmm.

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00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,320
And then this one is a humerus bone,
so that's the front leg,

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00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,800
and that is the perfect shape
for just holding and digging out...

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00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,120
The handle? Chiselling out
the malachite.

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Well now, that chopping action
you've done brings me to this,

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00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,840
because this, for me, is the most
surprising thing of all.

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00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:29,280
You think of three and a half
thousand years ago, and there's a
level of sophistication here

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00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,240
which, I have to say, took me by
surprise, so talk us through this.

224
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,200
Yeah, this is one of the
palstave axes that they would
have used in the Bronze Age.

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It would have been made in a
two-piece mould, but this is bronze,
so this is the copper,

226
00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:46,160
which would have come from here, and
then tin, which you would have to go
to Cornwall, probably, to get.

227
00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:52,520
That's something that was held three
and a half thousand years ago. Yeah.
Well, that's quite a thrill. It is.

228
00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,920
Just one look at this ancient
gold cape will tell you

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00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,560
how much industrial wealth
is being generated here.

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00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,560
Discovered in Flintshire
in the 1830s,

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00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,720
and beaten
out of a single gold ingot,

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00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,960
the Mold Cape is an astonishing
piece of workmanship,

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00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,960
fit to adorn
the slender shoulders of a queen.

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00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,520
It dates from a time
when Egypt is building the pyramids.

235
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:29,120
North Wales has riches
to rival the Pharaohs.

236
00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:41,000
People here are exchanging goods
and ideas with mainland Europe.

237
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,520
But who exactly
are their trading partners?

238
00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,480
And how do they reach them?

239
00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:55,400
The latest research points west,
to the open Atlantic.

240
00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,680
This is the trading superhighway
of the ancient world.

241
00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:03,720
Through it, we may be able
to trace our Celtic roots

242
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,960
'much further back
than we ever imagined.

243
00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:10,720
'And one of the pioneers
of this new line of thinking

244
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:11,840
'is Professor John Koch.'

245
00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:18,560
John, it's an intriguing thought,
as we look at the sea here today,
on the coast of North Wales,

246
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:23,120
to think that this channel,
this transport by sea,

247
00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:25,880
which, frankly, lots of people
would never have imagined,

248
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,920
was more sophisticated, more
advanced, than we ever thought.

249
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:33,560
It was probably easier to get around
by sea than it was over land.

250
00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,440
The land was heavily forested,

251
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,840
before the Romans were here,
there weren't good roads.

252
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:39,680
It was probably easier

253
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:44,160
to maintain, and create,
long-distance connections by sea.

254
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,400
As soon as metals
come into the picture,

255
00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,120
and particularly copper and bronze,
most especially,

256
00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:52,240
you need the long-distance
connections

257
00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,600
just to keep the new economy going.

258
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,400
You're saying we should think
of Wales in a much bigger world?

259
00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,000
That's right. It's always...

260
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,040
certainly, it's always been
connected to the rest of Britain.

261
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,680
But there's another side to it,
and we're looking at that
other side of it now.

262
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,960
It's the western ocean,
if John is right,

263
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,880
which links Wales to the
Celtic world of the continent.

264
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,360
And it's not the story
we used to be told,

265
00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:27,280
the idea of hostile forces
sweeping in from the east,

266
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,240
in a series of sudden invasions
from the continent.

267
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,240
Well, that idea is wrong.

268
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,160
For Professor Koch,

269
00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,880
the links have always been
to do with trade, not invasion.

270
00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:44,640
They go way, way back in time,

271
00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:46,840
and all the way down
the Atlantic seaboard.

272
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,360
His evidence points
to Celts from the West.

273
00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,720
It's a major change of perspective
for those of us who grew up
with a history

274
00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:03,080
that talks about Wales
and its eastern neighbours
and there's something very exciting

275
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,440
about the way we're telling
the story now, John,

276
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:09,600
which is that it is an
outward-looking Wales we're talking
about, all those years ago.

277
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,680
Oh, it's a very different
perspective now.

278
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,520
You now have evidence

279
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:17,560
for a diversity of very ancient
Celtic languages

280
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,120
on the continent of Europe.

281
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:23,760
All of this new evidence
is constantly turning up
new connections

282
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:28,640
with the Welsh language, names
of people, names of gods and so on,

283
00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,080
so that there has always been this
long-distance maritime connection.

284
00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,920
And this goes right back, through
the Iron Age, the Bronze Age,

285
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,920
Copper Age, right on back
as far as you want to go

286
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,000
for human beings being here.

287
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,880
The trading links
go deep into history,

288
00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:59,040
but the technology
is moving forward.

289
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:06,000
There's a big change coming and we
can understand a lot more about it

290
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,320
because of a chance discovery
a century ago.

291
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:12,240
One hundred years ago,

292
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:17,200
workmen were here at the foot
of Craig y Llyn, Rhigos,

293
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:21,760
creating a reservoir for the people
of Rhondda, just over the hill,

294
00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,960
and in the course of clearing
peat and vegetation,

295
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,560
they made the most fantastic
of discoveries.

296
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,240
What they'd found was a hoard
of weapons and tools

297
00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:39,720
from the late Bronze Age.

298
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:48,960
Two bronze cauldrons, so big that
you can't get your arms around them.

299
00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,480
Carpenter's tools,
chisels and gouges,

300
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:59,920
and some of the finest decorative
horse gear ever found in Britain.

301
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,200
But there's something else, too -

302
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,480
an iron sword,
probably made in Eastern France.

303
00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:19,240
This superbly grooved,
it's just part of a sword,

304
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,520
the grooves on the blade
telling us that...

305
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:26,240
Hmm, this isn't just a first-time
blacksmith's effort with iron,

306
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:32,320
because, 2,700 years ago,
2,800 years ago,

307
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,680
iron was something really new.

308
00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:42,120
New and valuable. Too valuable to
have been left here without thought.

309
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,920
From similar finds
in bogs and rivers and lakes,

310
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,320
experts believe they're offerings
to a local goddess.

311
00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,080
But how do these gifts to the waters

312
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,480
come to be here in Wales
in the first place?

313
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,160
Are they evidence of trade or war?

314
00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,040
Perhaps 50 years ago,

315
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,800
an archaeologist looking
at this Llyn Fawr collection

316
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,360
might say that the foreign sword
from the continent

317
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:20,880
meant that an invader
carried it here.

318
00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,640
By today, many of us
believe it was trade.

319
00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,960
Gifts passing through many hands.

320
00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:34,000
Most intriguing of all,

321
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,000
there's evidence here
in the L-shaped iron sickle

322
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,000
and the short spearhead,

323
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:43,360
that local smiths are transferring
their skills in bronze

324
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:45,560
to work in this
even more useful new metal.

325
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,080
Here is our bronzesmith,

326
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,480
somehow being introduced, or
experimenting, with iron ores,

327
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,920
that you can find in the geology,

328
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,000
in the rocks behind us here
on the South Wales coalfield.

329
00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,840
Experimenting with smelting,
forging the iron

330
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:07,680
and creating new metal objects
in the old style.

331
00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:15,200
We're heralding. we're in the
cradle of native ironworking,

332
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:16,440
not just in Wales,

333
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,480
because these are the oldest
native-made iron objects

334
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:22,520
in the whole of the British Isles
and Ireland.

335
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:24,120
Fantastic story.

336
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,720
'The Llyn Peninsula
in the north-west corner of Wales

337
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,640
'is another location
that opens our eyes

338
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,640
'to the nature of life
here in this new age of iron.

339
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:01,040
'In the centuries
before the Romans arrive,

340
00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:05,200
'the population of Wales may have
been around 80,000.

341
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:08,240
'There are no towns,

342
00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,200
'but there are hillforts,
more than 1,000 of them.'

343
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:19,360
Just think, this entrance
has been here for 2,000 years

344
00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:21,200
and it still tells us a story.

345
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:31,200
'We may be on top of an exposed peak
450 metres above the sea,

346
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,400
'but this is a major
Iron Age settlement.'

347
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,120
'Tre'r Ceiri is one
of the best preserved

348
00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:42,320
'and most densely-occupied
hillforts in Britain.

349
00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,000
'Behind its ramparts,

350
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,680
'you can still see the shapes
of more than 150 stone houses.

351
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,640
'But "hillfort"
is a misleading term.

352
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:58,200
'The people of Tre'r Ceiri
are farmers, not fighters,

353
00:25:58,200 --> 00:25:59,840
'and from their homes,

354
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,040
'they can look down
on the fertile land below.'

355
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,600
So what does this
mesmerising place tell us?

356
00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,640
It tells us that,
long before the Romans arrived,

357
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,080
there was
a sophisticated society here,

358
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:18,120
trading, not just in the local area,
but much further afield.

359
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:21,560
And don't be fooled -
it may look as if it's been built

360
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,440
to withstand an invasion
from a distant enemy - not the case.

361
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,400
It's all about local power
and local control.

362
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,640
So, by 2,000 years ago,
a pattern has emerged -

363
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:41,880
the ancient peoples of Wales

364
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,360
have settled into a group
of separate tribes.

365
00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,000
From what's about to happen to them,

366
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,200
we can distinguish
their characteristics,

367
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,440
and even give them names -

368
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,040
the fierce Silures
in the southeast,

369
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,680
the Ordovices, led by the druids
of Anglesey in the north.

370
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,920
Each tribe is many thousand strong,

371
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,360
with its own royal family,
and priests and rituals.

372
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,640
They squabble and they skirmish,
but they speak a common language

373
00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,480
and they know each other's
customs and gods.

374
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:25,400
This is their home.

375
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:44,000
43 AD.

376
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:45,280
They're confronted

377
00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,680
by the most efficient
killing machine in the world.

378
00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,080
The Roman Army
sweeps across Britain.

379
00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,680
Many tribes surrender
without a fight.

380
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,640
BATTLE CRIES

381
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,640
Others try guerrilla tactics,
to ambush and surprise the invaders.

382
00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:14,800
SWORDS CLASH

383
00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,080
Across the Menai Straits,
inspired by the Druids,

384
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:27,920
the Ordovices put up some
of the strongest resistance.

385
00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,360
In the south, the Silures
take the battle to the Romans.

386
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,360
This land, rolling down towards
the Severn Estuary,

387
00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,800
is the power base of the Silures.

388
00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,160
And power is the right word.

389
00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:47,640
They're strong, they're fierce,

390
00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:50,480
they're not the kind of fighters
who hide in the hills

391
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:52,280
and launch the odd raid.

392
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:57,560
They're in the business of making
full-frontal attacks on the Romans.

393
00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,200
According to one story,

394
00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,440
they demolished three Roman units
in a single day.

395
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,720
And then they follow that success

396
00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:09,320
by almost wiping out
an entire legion.

397
00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,880
Roman generals come to hate them.

398
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,800
They swear to sweep the Silures
off the face of the earth.

399
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:22,640
BATTLE CRIES

400
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:24,600
But that's not so easy,

401
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,640
particularly when the Silures
are joined

402
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,480
by one of ancient Britain's
most skilful warlords.

403
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,840
His name is Caractacus, or Caradog,
as he's known in Welsh.

404
00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,600
It takes an epic struggle
to capture him,

405
00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:42,080
but he's such a catch that he's sent
for trial to the Emperor himself.

406
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,960
When he gets to Rome,
Caradog is condemned to death,

407
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,800
but for some reason,

408
00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:55,320
the Emperor Claudius allows him
one final plea for his life

409
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:59,720
and the Roman historian Tacitus
sets down the words of that plea.

410
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,960
What we have is the first speech
in history

411
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,920
credited to someone
who's lived in Wales.

412
00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:07,520
It's quite a speech.

413
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,160
"Noble Emperor and people of Rome,

414
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:21,600
"I face humiliation,
while you have glory.

415
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,480
"I had horses, men, weapons.

416
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:28,760
"Are you surprised I'm sorry
to have lost them?

417
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,240
"Just because you want
to rule the world,

418
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,440
"do you think everyone else
is happy to be made a slave?

419
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,000
"If I had surrendered
without a fight,

420
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,800
"no-one would have heard
of my downfall or your triumph.

421
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,520
"If you kill me,
they will both be forgotten.

422
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,560
"But if you spare me,

423
00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:55,600
"I shall stand forever
as a symbol of your mercy."

424
00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:04,720
The words work.

425
00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:08,400
Caractacus is freed,
but he never returns to Britain

426
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,400
and history records no more of him.

427
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:18,720
What we can say is that the Ancient
Britons are a bit of a handful,

428
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,800
to put it mildly, and that's
certainly the case here in Wales.

429
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,640
We're at the very edge
of the Roman Empire

430
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:28,720
and Rome realises that it needs
a very powerful military presence

431
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,520
if it's to keep things
under control.

432
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:35,280
So what do the Romans
decide that they have to do?

433
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:40,240
Well, they decide to build an
immense fortress here at Caerleon.

434
00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,320
And they call this place Isca.

435
00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:46,120
This is where thousands of soldiers
are fed and watered,

436
00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:47,760
housed and trained -

437
00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:51,040
trained to put the locals down
and keep them down.

438
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,960
30 years after the Romans invade,

439
00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,880
this amphitheatre is where
a whole Roman legion is entertained,

440
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:07,880
as well as put through its paces.

441
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,280
But Isca, it turns out,
isn't just a big army camp.

442
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,200
Whilst we've been filming
this series,

443
00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,200
archaeologists have been
digging here

444
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,840
on a large area between the military
site and the River Usk.

445
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,720
Their extraordinary new findings

446
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,560
give us a completely
fresh understanding of this place.

447
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,360
Caerleon is a Roman city
and a major port.

448
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:54,160
What we can see here is a new
reconstruction that we've had done.

449
00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,400
It's still in the development stage,

450
00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,640
but it shows what this part
of Caerleon might have been like

451
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,040
at the end of the first century AD
as we imagine it,

452
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:03,560
around about 100.

453
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,840
You can see a river ship coming up
the Usk from the Severn Estuary,

454
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:10,080
bringing men and materials
into Caerleon.

455
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:13,520
Here we have the quayside,
which we've been excavating here,

456
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:17,920
where all the materials and the men
would've been offloaded.

457
00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,600
And then we have a flythrough
of the Roman buildings

458
00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:22,040
that we've been uncovering,

459
00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:24,800
including the very large
courtyard complex,

460
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,040
a series of buildings

461
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:29,520
that we think are the marketplaces,
that include bath houses.

462
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,760
Here we can see the amphitheatre

463
00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,760
and then we fly through
the fortress's west gate

464
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,560
into the centre of Isca,

465
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,200
where we can see barrack blocks
and store buildings,

466
00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:42,160
the commanding officer's house
and headquarters,

467
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,160
Caerleon's bath house, where
the Romans would have kept clean.

468
00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:47,440
And then we fly through
the main streets,

469
00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:50,680
out towards the civilian settlement
on the other side.

470
00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,280
And it really gives
a tremendous sense

471
00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,120
of how big
some of these buildings were

472
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:58,600
and how imposing and important
they must have looked.

473
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,520
One of the new riverfront
structures discovered by Dr Guest

474
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,760
is more than 100 metres long
and 100 metres wide -

475
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:12,200
big enough to fit the amphitheatre
inside its central courtyard.

476
00:34:13,240 --> 00:34:17,480
It's just part of this port complex
which is changing our view

477
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,920
of how Caerleon connects Britain
to the rest of the Roman Empire.

478
00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:26,200
We're in one of the excavation
trenches closest to the River Usk.

479
00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:29,680
And in this trench, we think we
have the remains of the Roman port.

480
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:32,480
Here, this wall, we think,
is the quayside wall

481
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,400
that the Romans would've constructed
outside the fortress of Caerleon,

482
00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,240
which would've allowed ships
and boats to moor on the River Usk

483
00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:43,520
and for men and materials
and other goods to be offloaded

484
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,320
and then taken into the fortress
and the other parts of Roman Wales.

485
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:58,080
One of the things the Romans brought
to Britain nearly 2,000 years ago

486
00:34:58,080 --> 00:34:59,640
was the use of writing.

487
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,560
This is a Roman brick
that you can see here,

488
00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:04,200
which has a stamp on it

489
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,760
which records the fact
that this tile was made by

490
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,520
the Second Augustan Legion.

491
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:11,520
And this is a particularly
special find.

492
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,200
It has parts of three letters on it.

493
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,400
An A. You can see the crossbar
of the A there.

494
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:21,040
A V or a U,
and then what is either a C or a G.

495
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:25,920
Roman inscriptions,
particularly imperial inscriptions,

496
00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,200
often record the imperial titles
of the emperor,

497
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,880
one of which was Augustus.

498
00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:36,680
The Romans were very keen
to make sure that you knew,
as you came to a place like this,

499
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,360
that it was now part
of the new civilised world

500
00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,720
and that the people who had done
the civilising were the soldiers,

501
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:44,520
were the Second Augustan Legion,

502
00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,080
but they were doing it
in the name of the emperor.

503
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:51,080
Presumably, if we're lucky, we may
well find more of this inscription

504
00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:53,320
which might tell us
which emperor that was.

505
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,840
The discoveries made
by Doctor Guest and his team

506
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,880
allow us to see Caerleon
in a much, much broader way

507
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:04,120
than we've ever done before.

508
00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:07,600
It's the first, and only time,
that we in Britain

509
00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:11,200
became part of
a Mediterranean world.

510
00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:16,600
Caerleon was a major access route.

511
00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:19,880
So the wine Romans liked to drink

512
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,680
or the olive oil
they liked to put on their food

513
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:25,760
came in large storage vessels.

514
00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,280
And it's not just
the material things, but also

515
00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,360
the new gods that Romans brought
with them. The new languages.

516
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,200
The new ways of dressing
and thinking about the world.

517
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,240
These would also have been
brought into Western Britain,

518
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:39,040
presumably at places like this.

519
00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:47,200
So we now have a better idea of
the true scale and purpose of Isca.

520
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:52,160
The Romans clearly want Caerleon
to be a major city,

521
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:55,320
a great city.
An integral part of the empire.

522
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:59,000
And they want all the benefits
of Roman civilisation

523
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,640
to apply right here
in this new province of theirs.

524
00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:07,520
So what we're talking about now
is not just a military battle.

525
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,600
It's also a battle
for hearts and minds.

526
00:37:19,720 --> 00:37:24,400
Down the road from Caerleon, at
the door of this church in Caerwent,

527
00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:28,200
is a relic of Roman times
which shows just how quickly

528
00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,800
the native Britons
embrace all that Rome has to offer.

529
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:37,360
It's a stone tablet
with a Latin inscription -

530
00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:41,440
a kind of operating licence
for Civitas Silurum,

531
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,840
the self-governing
council of the Silures.

532
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:51,000
The Romans have built
a whole new town

533
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,400
for the tribe themselves
to rule and govern.

534
00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:00,720
Just a generation after fighting
to the death to defend their land,

535
00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:04,960
the Silures have accepted Roman
rule and agreed to pay their taxes.

536
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:11,400
In return, they're enjoying all
the benefits of Roman civilisation.

537
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:14,560
They even get
their own assembly building.

538
00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:18,200
You could say it's the first time
devolution comes to Wales.

539
00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,880
And it's not just in the south
that the Romans secure their grip.

540
00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:40,960
The mountains
are no barrier to them.

541
00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:48,360
They build a whole network of roads,
military camps and towns,

542
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,280
stretching from
Caerleon and Caerwent

543
00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:54,960
to Carmarthen in the west
and Caernarfon in the north.

544
00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:03,680
The Roman occupation of Britain
is a massive enterprise.

545
00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,720
It ties up
the Empire's military resources

546
00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:08,920
and personnel for decades.

547
00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:15,880
Just imagine the logistics involved

548
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,880
in building and maintaining
this one fort,

549
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,360
'Segontium in Caernarfon, at the end
of the Roman supply chain.'

550
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:28,040
So, why do the Romans come here
and stay here?

551
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,120
One reason is prestige.

552
00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:34,240
Conquering Britannia brings the
Emperor Claudius a lot of glory.

553
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:36,400
It tightens his grip on power.

554
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,040
And never discount
the importance of PR

555
00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:41,960
in the politics of Ancient Rome.

556
00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,360
But there are good practical
reasons to be here, too.

557
00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:49,400
This island is a bread basket

558
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,280
and Rome can tax its farmers

559
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:54,600
and enjoy the fruits
of their labour on the land.

560
00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,560
And then there's the most valuable
resource of all - people.

561
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:02,800
While some Britons enjoy all
the benefits of Roman civilisation,

562
00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:05,840
many more of them are traded,
as slaves.

563
00:40:07,720 --> 00:40:10,480
Or "living tools",
as the Romans called them.

564
00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:14,200
And they're put to dig out
Britannia's mineral wealth,

565
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,840
like the gold at Dolaucothi
in West Wales.

566
00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:21,000
Many other slaves are shipped off
to Rome to serve its politicians,

567
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,120
philosophers and army veterans.

568
00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:30,240
Life for many is nasty,
short and brutal.

569
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:33,040
But others do thrive
on Rome's bounty.

570
00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:41,320
Any Welsh speaker will confirm
just how comprehensively

571
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:45,680
the tribes of Wales adopt
the benefits of Roman civilisation.

572
00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,320
The language proves it.

573
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:51,960
Some of the words used here
at Segontium 2,000 years ago

574
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,480
are still being used
on the streets of Caernarfon today.

575
00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:58,560
Pont, for bridge.

576
00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:00,080
Ffenest, for window.

577
00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:01,560
These are Latin words,

578
00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:05,960
which now form some of the nuts
and bolts of the Welsh language.

579
00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:14,520
And there's something else that
Rome leaves behind - Christianity.

580
00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:21,000
At first, the Romans persecute the
new faith, but then they embrace it.

581
00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,120
In the year 306, when he's
on a military campaign in Britain,

582
00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:30,200
Constantine the Great
is proclaimed Emperor.

583
00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:35,000
He is the first Christian
to rule Rome.

584
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:45,240
The Romans rule Britannia
for 350 years.

585
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:48,600
There are Imperial soldiers here
right up to the year 400.

586
00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:54,480
But in the end,
with their empire under threat,

587
00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,160
the Romans march out of our history

588
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,960
and leave Christian Britain
to defend itself.

589
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:08,560
Towns are abandoned.

590
00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:10,360
Those living in the ruins of empire

591
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,280
have to deal as best they can
with new threats -

592
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,840
Irish pirates and Saxon invaders.

593
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:26,440
Dyfed and Brycheiniog
are overrun by the Irish.

594
00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:30,880
Gwynedd is invaded, probably by
tribes from north of Hadrian's Wall.

595
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:34,320
And then come the Angles
and the Saxons.

596
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:47,600
From the year 400,
these Germanic peoples

597
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:49,800
push eastwards from the Continent,

598
00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:54,480
smothering the old Celtic and
Roman culture in lowland Britain,

599
00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:58,040
forcing it back into the hills
and the mountains of the west.

600
00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:07,240
The Anglo-Saxons don't share the
Christian faith Rome has brought

601
00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:11,920
and it seems that Britain's Roman
legacy may be eclipsed completely.

602
00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:23,480
These are mysterious times,

603
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:26,400
filled with battles
against the odds.

604
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:29,760
Something in them
sparks the Celtic imagination.

605
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:31,360
The hard facts are scarce,

606
00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:33,720
but the struggle
to keep the faith alive

607
00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:37,080
inspires some of
the greatest stories of Wales.

608
00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:48,400
There is a world of difference
between history and legend,

609
00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:50,920
but when you come to
a magical place like this,

610
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,320
deep in the heart
of the Welsh countryside,

611
00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:55,320
they seem to come together.

612
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:03,560
In this land of mystic waters
and sacred springs,

613
00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:05,880
it's a time for tales of heroes

614
00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:10,640
whose exploits have cast spells
on the world ever since.

615
00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:13,800
I'm thinking especially
of King Arthur,

616
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,760
the great defender
of Christian Britain

617
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:20,360
and, of course,
of his resident magician,

618
00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:22,600
the mighty Merlin.

619
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,920
In one story, written down
more than a thousand years ago

620
00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,160
by a Welsh monk known as Nennius,

621
00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:36,240
it is Merlin who predicts that
the Red Dragon, the native Britons,

622
00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:38,560
will eventually defeat
the White Dragon,

623
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,680
the invading Anglo-Saxons.

624
00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:49,040
These are tales
of conflict and heroism.

625
00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:53,080
They set up the notion
that this land is embattled,

626
00:44:53,080 --> 00:44:55,480
ringed around by dark forces.

627
00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,480
And legend has it
that Arthur and his warriors

628
00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:02,480
are still waiting somewhere
in the deepest countryside,

629
00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:05,200
ready to come to our rescue.

630
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:13,480
The fact is that, the Arthur
industry, if I can call it that,

631
00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:14,600
built around Camelot,

632
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,600
the Sword in the Stone,
the Knights of the Round Table,

633
00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:20,880
all of this is invented,
at a much later time.

634
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:23,560
But these inventions are based on

635
00:45:23,560 --> 00:45:27,600
some intriguing fragments
of historical evidence.

636
00:45:31,520 --> 00:45:35,120
In one account of a great battle
with the Anglo-Saxons,

637
00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:36,960
said to take
place in the year 516,

638
00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:40,720
Arthur carries the Christian cross
on his shoulders for three days

639
00:45:40,720 --> 00:45:43,480
and nights, before leading
the Britons to victory.

640
00:45:49,760 --> 00:45:53,160
All over Britain,
there is an epic struggle going on.

641
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:57,640
And because the Celts
from Cornwall in the south

642
00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,840
to Central Scotland in the north

643
00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:04,600
speak a language
that's an early form of Welsh,

644
00:46:04,600 --> 00:46:07,560
we can still get a sense
of the drama and turmoil,

645
00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:09,320
if we know where to look.

646
00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:19,440
This is the Book of Aneirin

647
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:21,720
in the National Library
in Aberystwyth.

648
00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:26,520
And it contains the record of
a battle from around the year 600.

649
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:30,120
"Gwyr a aeth Gatraeth
oedd ffraeth eu llu.

650
00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:34,040
"Glasfedd eu hancwyn a gwenwyn fu."

651
00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:39,240
'The men who marched to Catterick
were a swift war band.

652
00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:42,520
'Their drink was mead.
It proved to be poison.'

653
00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:44,320
They're very famous lines.

654
00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:48,040
They're taken from
the earliest surviving Welsh poem,

655
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:50,280
written by a poet
living in Edinburgh.

656
00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:53,440
And what's striking is that,
it is still possible

657
00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:56,080
for a Welsh speaker to get the gist.

658
00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,440
It tells the story
of an army of soldiers

659
00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:01,200
going into battle
against the Angles.

660
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:03,080
in the north of England.

661
00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:05,720
And what we get,
in all of these stories,

662
00:47:05,720 --> 00:47:09,800
is a gradual recognition
of our identity as a people.

663
00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:12,480
We are the Cymry, the compatriots.

664
00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:14,640
The Brithoniaid, the Britons.

665
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:17,320
The Wealhas, the Welsh.

666
00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:20,560
That's the Anglo-Saxon word
for "strangers",

667
00:47:20,560 --> 00:47:25,360
or more precisely, those strangers
who used to live in a Roman world.

668
00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:40,800
Part of Rome's great legacy
is Christianity,

669
00:47:40,800 --> 00:47:44,640
but now, Wales produces
its own Christian leaders.

670
00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:51,560
They're determined to make the
faith on these shores more rooted

671
00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:53,640
and much more outward-looking.

672
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:03,200
Between the years 400 and 600,

673
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,240
they managed to defend
and strengthen Christianity

674
00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:09,040
in the teeth
of Anglo-Saxon aggression.

675
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:15,720
This is the Age of the Saints.

676
00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:22,720
Some focus completely
on the spiritual life,

677
00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:25,680
away from the turmoil of war
that's all around.

678
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:33,520
It's a search for remoteness
and isolation,

679
00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:35,600
for the kind of spiritual peace

680
00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:39,880
that can still be found
along parts of the Welsh coastline.

681
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:42,600
These are people
who want to withdraw from the world

682
00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:44,520
and who take as their example

683
00:48:44,520 --> 00:48:49,320
the Christian hermits of the Middle
East, thousands of miles away.

684
00:48:49,320 --> 00:48:51,760
We're on the edge of Europe here,

685
00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:54,720
but we are in the mainstream
of Christianity.

686
00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:05,440
MONASTIC CHANTING

687
00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:07,800
Other saints chose a different path,

688
00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:11,360
engaging with the lives
of ordinary people around them.

689
00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:14,280
They build communities,
which shelter the faith

690
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:18,040
in the troubled times
of Anglo-Saxon attack.

691
00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:23,840
The most important is
the settlement at Llanilltud Fawr,

692
00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:25,880
Llantwit Major.

693
00:49:28,120 --> 00:49:30,560
'As Dr Juliet Wood explains to me,

694
00:49:30,560 --> 00:49:33,760
'this is where
a remarkable man called Illtud'

695
00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:36,120
turns his back on a soldier's life

696
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:38,040
and builds what we believe to be

697
00:49:38,040 --> 00:49:41,240
Britain's first ever
centre of learning.

698
00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:52,320
We don't have a lot of written
records from this period,

699
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,200
but we do have the saints' lives

700
00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:56,520
and we do have stories
about mythical figures.

701
00:49:56,520 --> 00:49:59,160
Now, these are always, sort of,

702
00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:01,000
done much after
the historical period.

703
00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:02,640
You have to be careful with them.

704
00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:05,080
But they tell us
what was important to the culture.

705
00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:08,120
And certainly
with the Illtud stories,

706
00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:10,840
you're getting this image
of a powerful saint,

707
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:12,840
a saint who taught other saints,

708
00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:16,640
a saint who carried forward this
notion of the Christian message.

709
00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:20,440
And Illtud starts out as a warrior,
rather than a monk.

710
00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:23,960
He was raised as a Christian -
he's not a Pagan -

711
00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,400
but he decided
he was going to be a warrior.

712
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:29,400
And then he becomes converted
to the monastic life.

713
00:50:32,680 --> 00:50:36,840
The Church of St Illtud dates from
long after the original monastery,

714
00:50:36,840 --> 00:50:39,040
but it's built on the tradition

715
00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:42,080
that Illtud sets up
a powerhouse of learning,

716
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:44,480
producing a thousand graduates.

717
00:50:44,480 --> 00:50:47,320
Some sources claim
that both Saint David of Wales

718
00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:50,840
and Saint Patrick of Ireland
are pupils of Illtud.

719
00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:53,800
MONASTIC CHANTING

720
00:50:56,720 --> 00:50:58,760
The Celtic crosses
at the church door

721
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,360
date back almost as far
as the Age of the Saints.

722
00:51:03,960 --> 00:51:06,920
One of them bears the name
of Illtud himself

723
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:09,400
and several of his chief followers.

724
00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:15,720
They are men who cling to faith
and learning in a time of war.

725
00:51:15,720 --> 00:51:18,000
Prayer and study are their weapons,

726
00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:21,080
but the violent times they live in
mark them

727
00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:24,680
with a steely determination
to fight for the faith.

728
00:51:26,760 --> 00:51:28,880
The Welsh saints
are a different bunch.

729
00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:31,720
There are no martyrs.
They're quite tetchy.

730
00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:34,400
Um...they can really blast
their enemies.

731
00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:36,880
They're very strong figures.

732
00:51:36,880 --> 00:51:39,160
So you get these wonderful legends,

733
00:51:39,160 --> 00:51:42,120
which tell you
what it is about a Welsh saint

734
00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:43,560
that we ought to emulate.

735
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:48,440
Illtud's focus
is on the world outside.

736
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:53,960
In church terms, Llantwit Major
is what we call a "class monastery",

737
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:57,200
a flexible settlement
linked to the local chieftains,

738
00:51:57,200 --> 00:52:00,840
who are also determined
to defend their patch.

739
00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:08,360
It was a time when Wales
was beginning to think of itself
as different.

740
00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:10,800
But it wouldn't have been
all of Wales,

741
00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:13,360
in the sense that
we now think of this.

742
00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:17,080
When we think of the story of Wales,
you're really dealing with a mosaic,

743
00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:19,560
which is eventually
going to come together.

744
00:52:19,560 --> 00:52:23,000
Illtud himself taught a number
of very important Welsh saints.

745
00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:26,880
And they went out and they founded
their own class monasteries.

746
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:34,720
The mosaic of Welsh life
isn't yet complete,

747
00:52:34,720 --> 00:52:36,440
but the picture is filling out.

748
00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:39,280
In the 500s and 600s,

749
00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:43,920
Illtud's disciples build
small communities all over Wales.

750
00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:53,400
The physical evidence
of their existence is long gone,

751
00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:56,120
but the religious enclosures,
the timber churches,

752
00:52:56,120 --> 00:52:58,960
the small buildings,
the cemeteries,

753
00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:00,760
all inside a protective wall,

754
00:53:00,760 --> 00:53:05,000
they've certainly left their mark
in every part of Wales.

755
00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:12,520
If you want to find lasting traces
of the early Welsh Church,

756
00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:14,040
just look at a map,

757
00:53:14,040 --> 00:53:17,000
because the old Welsh word
for enclosure is "llan"

758
00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,480
and there are hundreds
of Welsh place names

759
00:53:19,480 --> 00:53:22,520
which combine the word llan
with the name of a saint.

760
00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:25,680
We've already been to Llandudno -
the llan of Saint Tudno.

761
00:53:25,680 --> 00:53:28,800
There's Llanbadarn -
the llan of Saint Padarn.

762
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:31,880
There's Llanelli, of course -
The llan of Saint Elli.

763
00:53:31,880 --> 00:53:33,800
There are slightly
more complex ones.

764
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:35,920
Llantrisant -
The llan of three saints.

765
00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:38,720
Llanpumsain -
The llan of five saints.

766
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:42,000
And then, of course, there's
the most exotic one of them all,

767
00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:47,120
the one that talks about
Saint Mary, and Saint Tysilio

768
00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:49,160
and lots of other things, too.

769
00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:53,560
And, yes, I CAN say it.

770
00:53:53,560 --> 00:53:57,640
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndro
bwyllllantysiliogogogoch.

771
00:53:57,640 --> 00:53:59,240
How's that?

772
00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:09,280
The Welsh saints certainly leave
their mark in every corner of Wales.

773
00:54:09,280 --> 00:54:10,840
And they do more.

774
00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:13,920
Surrounded by Saxon enemies
who don't share their faith,

775
00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:17,200
they manage to break out
to inspire others.

776
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:22,600
Their impact is immense.

777
00:54:22,600 --> 00:54:24,600
Crossing the Celtic seas,

778
00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:27,680
they nurture the Christian life
of Ireland and Scotland,

779
00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:29,480
Cornwall and Brittany.

780
00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:38,880
The traditions they establish
give us masterpieces,

781
00:54:38,880 --> 00:54:43,280
such as the illuminated manuscripts
of faraway Lindisfarne.

782
00:54:54,320 --> 00:54:57,960
But not all of these spiritual
giants are travellers.

783
00:55:01,240 --> 00:55:05,880
The best-known figure of the age
stays at home, here in Wales,

784
00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:07,800
and he builds a wooden church

785
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:10,560
in this sheltered, tranquil spot

786
00:55:10,560 --> 00:55:13,400
in the far west, on the coastline.

787
00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:18,320
Today, it is the site of this
magnificent stone-built cathedral,

788
00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:21,120
which exudes power and certainty.

789
00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:24,880
It is, of course,
the cathedral church of Dewi Sant,

790
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:27,400
our patron saint, Saint David.

791
00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,400
BELLS TOLL

792
00:55:32,080 --> 00:55:35,880
Every schoolchild in Wales knows
about the miracles of Saint David.

793
00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:38,400
How the ground suddenly rises
under his feet,

794
00:55:38,400 --> 00:55:42,480
so that a crowd in Llanddewi Brefi
can hear him preach.

795
00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:45,520
Though I have to say,
it's a mystery to me

796
00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:49,160
why you'd need to create a hill
in Ceredigion, of all places.

797
00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:53,240
And then we learn that
this gentle soul, on his deathbed,

798
00:55:53,240 --> 00:55:56,440
urges people to be faithful
to the little things.

799
00:55:57,880 --> 00:55:59,480
It's a comforting image.

800
00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:01,240
It's a reassuring image.

801
00:56:01,240 --> 00:56:05,040
Saint David emerges
as a bit of a softie.

802
00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:07,400
Don't believe a word of it.

803
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:10,400
MONASTIC CHANTING

804
00:56:12,880 --> 00:56:17,640
David's nickname was Aquaticus,
"the water man".

805
00:56:17,640 --> 00:56:20,240
People used to think
this was because

806
00:56:20,240 --> 00:56:22,680
water was the only thing
he'd drink.

807
00:56:24,280 --> 00:56:28,920
Experts now believe it's because
he's given to testing his faith

808
00:56:28,920 --> 00:56:33,080
by standing for hours
in ice-cold pools.

809
00:56:36,240 --> 00:56:39,320
We have very few facts about him,

810
00:56:39,320 --> 00:56:42,400
but the way we see Dewi
is important.

811
00:56:42,400 --> 00:56:45,640
Because his name, his tradition
are part and parcel

812
00:56:45,640 --> 00:56:49,800
of a distinctive Welsh form
of the Christian faith.

813
00:56:49,800 --> 00:56:54,320
One that tries to hold onto its
independence for 500 years to come.

814
00:56:54,320 --> 00:56:57,520
And it's that tenacity,
that determination,

815
00:56:57,520 --> 00:57:01,480
which earns Dewi his place
as our patron saint

816
00:57:01,480 --> 00:57:04,680
and as a national figurehead.

817
00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:15,880
So people have learnt to live

818
00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:18,520
and to thrive in this landscape.

819
00:57:18,520 --> 00:57:22,560
It's challenged them
and they've left their mark on it.

820
00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:28,560
They innovate, they trade,

821
00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:32,760
they deal in objects
of fabulous worth and beauty.

822
00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,160
They've faced the armies of Rome

823
00:57:40,160 --> 00:57:43,760
and they've benefited from all
that mighty empire has to offer.

824
00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:50,200
Now, they're fighting
for their place in the world

825
00:57:50,200 --> 00:57:52,560
and for the way THEY want to live.

826
00:57:54,320 --> 00:57:56,800
So the Welsh have arrived.

827
00:57:56,800 --> 00:57:58,680
They're a force to be reckoned with

828
00:57:58,680 --> 00:58:01,560
and the battle to strengthen
and defend that identity

829
00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:03,400
is about to begin.

830
00:58:06,680 --> 00:58:09,240
The Open University
has produced a free booklet

831
00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:12,960
for you to learn more about
the history of the people of Wales.

832
00:58:12,960 --> 00:58:17,800
You can call 0845 366 0253

833
00:58:17,800 --> 00:58:21,560
or go to bbc.co.uk/storyofwales

834
00:58:21,560 --> 00:58:24,520
and follow the links
to The Open University.

835
00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:48,920
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