Dolaucothi Gold Mines facts for kids
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Roman workings at Dolaucothi mine
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| Location | |
|---|---|
 Dolaucothi gold mines
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| County | Carmarthenshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°02′41″N 3°56′59″W / 52.0446°N 3.9498°W |
| Production | |
| Type | gold |
| Owner | |
| Company | National Trust |
| Website | http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dolaucothi-gold-mines |
The Dolaucothi Gold Mines, also called the Ogofau Gold Mine, are ancient Roman gold mines in Wales. You can find them in the Cothi River valley, near Pumsaint in Carmarthenshire. These mines are special because they are the only known Roman gold mines in Britain. They are also the only place to find Welsh gold outside the Dolgellau area.
The Dolaucothi Gold Mines are owned by the National Trust. They show us how advanced Roman technology was, especially in mining.
Contents
How Romans Mined Gold
People might have started looking for gold here as early as the Bronze Age. They probably washed gold from the river gravels. This is the simplest way to find gold.
Around AD 74, a Roman leader named Sextus Julius Frontinus came to Roman Britain. He helped control the local tribes in Roman Wales. He likely set up a fort at Pumsaint to help mine the gold at Dolaucothi.
We know gold was here because a collection of gold ornaments was found in the 1700s. These included a wheel brooch and snake bracelets. All these items are now in the British Museum. In 1844, a sample of gold ore was found, confirming gold was present.
The Roman army used the fort near the mines from about AD 78 to 125. But pottery found at the mine shows that mining continued until at least the late 200s AD. This means the mines were active for a long time after the soldiers left.
Using Water to Find Gold
The Romans were very clever with water. They built several aqueducts and channels to bring water from streams. The longest one was about 7 miles (11 km) long! They used this water to find gold veins hidden under the soil.
The water was stored in large tanks. Then, it was suddenly released in a powerful wave. This wave would wash away the soil, showing the bedrock and any gold veins. This method is called hushing. It was used for centuries, even up to the 1900s in some places. Today, a similar method is called hydraulic mining.
The water was also used to wash crushed gold ore. It might have even powered machines to crush the ore into smaller pieces.
One of the first aqueducts was built high up on a hillside. It brought water from a small stream about 2 miles (3 km) away. Below a large tank at the end of this aqueduct, there's a big open pit. This shows that gold was found there. A larger aqueduct, about 7 miles (11 km) long, was built later. It crossed this same open pit, proving the pit was dug earlier.
Some tanks built by the Romans didn't lead to finding gold. So, they were left empty. The tank shown here was probably used to find the edges of a gold deposit. Since it didn't find the gold, it was abandoned.
Digging from the Surface
The Romans were successful in finding gold. You can still see several large open pits where they dug from the surface. These pits are below the big water tanks. It's likely that the Romans dug most of these open pits. One of the aqueducts has been proven by carbon 14 dating to be older than any modern mining.
Near the road, there's a large stone called Carreg Pumsaint. It's thought to be a pile of waste rock from the mining.
The ponds near the road were probably part of a system to wash the gold ore. The upper pond, called Melin-y-Milwyr (the soldiers' mill), contained many Roman pottery pieces. These pieces show that the pond was used from about AD 78 until at least AD 300. This suggests that mining continued long after the Roman army left.
The Soldiers' Mill
The pond at the top of the road to Caio was thought to be modern. But in 1970, when the water was low, many Roman pottery pieces were found. This proved it was Roman. It was connected to a smaller tank below the road by a stone channel.
Over 100 different Roman pots were found. They must have fallen into the pond while the mines were busy. The pottery shows that the mines were active from the late 1st century AD to the end of the 4th century. Since the Roman fort closed in the mid-2nd century, it means mining continued for a long time without the army. This suggests a large mining town might have been nearby.
The ponds were likely used for washing gold ore. There were probably washing tables between the two tanks. A gentle stream of water would wash the ore, catching the tiny gold pieces. This system was probably built when underground mining began.
The Five Saints' Stone
The Dolaucothi site has some of the earliest proof of Romans using water-powered hammers to crush ore. The ore was probably crushed on the famous Carreg Pumsaint stone. This stone has hollows made by a hammer, likely powered by a water wheel. As one hollow got too deep, the hammer would be moved.
The stone is the only one found here, but similar ones exist at other Roman mines in Europe. When one side of the stone wore out, it was simply turned to use another side. Years later, in the Dark Ages, the hollows led to a legend. People believed five saints left the marks of their heads in the stone after falling asleep.
Mining Deep Underground
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The Romans followed the gold veins deep underground with shafts and tunnels. Some of these still exist today. In the 1880s and 1920s, remains of Roman machines to remove water were found in Spain.
At Dolaucothi, a similar discovery was made in 1935. A piece of a reverse overshot water wheel was found. This wheel is now in the National Museum of Wales. It was found with burnt wood, suggesting that fire-setting was used. This method involved heating the rock with fire and then cooling it quickly with water to break it apart.
A larger version of this wheel was found in Spain. It was part of a series of 16 wheels that lifted water about 80 feet (24 meters) from the bottom of the mine. The Dolaucothi wheel was found 160 feet (49 meters) below ground. This means it was likely part of a similar system to lift water out of the mine.
Mining gold at Dolaucothi was very advanced for its time. This suggests the Roman army itself might have started the mining here. Roman engineers like Vitruvius wrote about such water-lifting machines.
At another part of the mine, called Penlan-wen, water was scarce. Three long tunnels were dug into the hillside. These tunnels were wider than normal, probably to help air flow through the mine. This would make fire-setting safer.
Other Roman Mines
While Dolaucothi is unique in Britain for its large water systems, other Roman mines existed. These include lead mines in the Mendip Hills and Flintshire. Dolaucothi is most like gold mines in Romania and Spain, such as Las Médulas.
The Romans might have used slave labour from the local area. But the army was probably involved too, especially for their engineering skills. They were good at surveying and building aqueducts and water tanks.
Some gold was processed right at the mine. The finished brooch shown earlier and other gold items prove this. A partly engraved jewel was also found nearby. These tasks would have needed skilled workers, not slaves. Gold was likely melted into ingots (bars) for easier transport. This needed special furnaces that could reach very high temperatures. Workshops would also have been important for building and fixing mining tools.
After the army left, civilian contractors might have taken over the mine.
Later History of the Mines
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After the Romans left Britain in the 400s AD, the mine was abandoned for centuries. In the 1800s and early 1900s, people tried to restart mining, but it didn't last. In the 1930s, a shaft was dug 430 feet (130 meters) deep to find new gold veins. The mine closed in 1938 because it was unsafe and flooded.
It was during this time that ancient Roman underground workings were found. The piece of the Roman water-lifting wheel was also discovered then. The amazing surface remains, like the water channels, were only fully discovered in the 1970s.
From 1975 to 2000, Cardiff University managed the underground workings. Students helped make the mine safe for visitors. They also studied the mine, looking for gold and mapping the area. Cardiff University stopped managing the mine in 2000.
It's likely that more Roman mines will be found in Britain. People can look for old aqueducts and water tanks, often with the help of aerial photography.
Other Local Mines and Sites
The lead mines at Nantymwyn, about 8 miles (13 km) north, might also have been worked by the Romans. Old water tanks and aqueducts were found there in the 1970s.
There are also Roman forts at Llandovery and Bremia near Llanio.
The National Trust
The National Trust has owned and managed the Dolaucothi Gold Mines and the Dolaucothi Estate since 1941. It was given to them by the Johnes family, who had owned the mine since the late 1500s.
Universities like University of Manchester, Cardiff University, and Lampeter University have studied the site. The National Trust offers guided tours for visitors. They show people the mine and the amazing Roman history there.
See also
- Aerial archaeology
- De architectura
- De re metallica
- Dolaucothi Estate
- Fire-setting
- Georg Agricola
- Gold mining
- Gold extraction
- Gold prospecting
- Hushing
- Mining archaeology in British Isles
- Mining in Roman Britain
- River Cothi
- Roman aqueducts
- Roman engineering
- Roman mining
- Roman technology
- Welsh gold
