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CASTELL COLLEN AND THE METAL ROUTES OF WALES G. Arbour Stephens. CASTELL Collen is on the old road leading from Maridunum (Carmarthen) via Llwyn-fortun, Dynefor, Llandingat, Llanlleonfel, Disserth, Nantmel Bwlch y Sarnau to a spot between Llandinam and Mochdref, where it is joined by a road from Llanidloes. A little further on it is joined by a road from Caersws before it gets to Llanllwchaiarn, near the modern Newtown. From here the road runs near to the town of Montgomery, to Frotun (the modern Forden) and Caer-digoll, right on to Shrewsbury, This Roman camp with its Welsh name of Collen is of interest if only for the central chamber called the Sacellum in the inventory of Ancient Monuments. This, with its double walls, was probably a well- protected safe-deposit for the storage of silver and gold collected from the Welsh mines. It is interesting to note that along the old road from Carmarthen, past Castell Collen, to the north there are two places named Llwyn Fortun, near Dynefor and Forden, where temples to the Goddess Fortuna were erected. It is usual to speak of all the great connecting up roads as being Roman," but however much the Romans improved their surface, we must realise that they were originally planned and engineered by the early Celts, who used wheeled chariots necessitating the need for properly made routes. These routes were well marked, not by signposts, but by carnau, meini-hirion, bylchau, etc., each of them being known by name. The silver, gold and lead mines were worked by the Celts long before the Romans took an interest in them, and that these Celts had a central collecting station for their valuable metals. Castell Collen, in my opinion, was this centre to which ran all the metal roads leading from the mines of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Montgomeryshire. The district around Castell Collen is worthy of study. The old church of Llandrindod was raised on an important pre-Christian site. Amid the ruins of the walls replaced by the present building was found a very typical fertility carved stone-a sheila-a-gig-so closely associated with the Earth Goddess. This carving is in charge of the Rector and I suggest should be placed in the National Museum as one of the few such carvings found in Wales.