The Snowdonia Region
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	Heritage & Culture
	The Snowdonia Environment
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Heritage & Culture

Evidence of human habitation stretching back to an interglacial period nearly 200,000 years. But modern man arrived after the retreat of the Ice some 10,000 years ago. These ancient peoples left a treasury of tumuli, maenhir [standing stones] and cromlechs for us to marvel at today. Celt culture first arrived in the country around 600BC and the Brythonic wing of these peoples prospered for centuries before the Roman conquest in 43AD. Following a four-hundred-year period of being a province of the Roman Empire, the British Celts gradually became Welsh after the Roman withdrawal in the late 5C. The older druidic tradition also gave way to a distinctive Celtic Christianity closely link across the western seaways to Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany and western Scotland. This Celtic tradion of mysticism, closeness to nature and monasticism has left a heritage of churches from Ynys Enlli [Bardsey, the Island of 10,000 Saints] to St David's with its majestic Cathedral and in place names through Wales

Following the wars of succession in the dark ages not only with the Anglo Saxon but also with the Viking invaders, who are immortalised in many coastal place names from Swansea to Anglesey, Wales emerged as a geographical entity with the building of Offa's Dyke - and with intermittent political unity as well. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066 - the Welsh managed to resist conquest for fruther 200 years - producing the longbow in the process which went on to become the most formidable weapon of its time. The Normwn conquest of Wales in the lasr 13 century left one of Wales most enduring images -the great Castles from Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris ringing Wales all the way to Caerphilly. These have been trasnmuted from symbols of repression to icons of hope and are recognise a World Heritage Site alongside Chartres Cathedral and Stonehenge.

Following the Glyndwr rebellion of 1400 - 1416, Wales became politically more or less an appendage of England and was assimilated politically in 1536 by the Act of Union of Henry VIII (who was of Welsh descent). But the independence of culture and passion and character bridged the centuries.

The north-west of the country is regarded as one of the most Welsh in character and geography- the mountains of Snowdonia flow down to miles of unspoilt beaches and tranquil dunes. Most of the inhabitants of this area are Welsh speakers and the customary Celtic welcome is religiously observed.