Celtic Kingdoms of the British Isles

Demetae

By the early years of the first century AD, this Celtic tribe occupied south-western Wales, an area which later formed the kingdoms of Dyfed and Ceredigion, and which today covers the county of Pembrokeshire, the western half of Carmarthenshire, and perhaps the lower two-thirds of Ceredigion (all of which were contained within the preserved county of Dyfed until the 1996 reorganisation). The tribe was bordered to the north by the Ordovices, and to the east by the Silures, while to the west lay Ireland and the ever-present threat of raiders. To the south, across the Bristol Channel, were the Dumnonii and Cornovii.

The tribal boundaries for the pre-Roman period in Wales are generally more uncertain than in England. Rome had no political contact with the westernmost tribes prior to the invasion of AD 43, and even then it took another generation before any serious attempt was made to conquer the tribes based in what is now Wales (at the time, of course, they were all Britons from east coast to west coast, although those in the west were often considerably more rugged and dogged in their resistance to the invasion). A date for the arrival of the Demetae in the region cannot be pinpointed with any accuracy, but they were probably part of the second wave of Celtic immigrants into Britain, arriving from around 750 BC and perhaps reaching the west coast in the fourth century BC.

It is claimed that the tribe's name was derived from their warrior god, Demetos, whom it seems someone decided had to be a god of drunkenness. However, this seems dubious for an otherwise unattested god, unless it is one that is noted in Latin on a Pictish inscription as Mars Medocio (or Maedoc). The second part of Medocio is 'doc', seen often in Welsh names, which is most likely a Brythonic form of the god, Dagda. The mistake made is in where to break the word, with 'med-ocio' giving 'mead', and 'me-docio' giving some variant of Dagda. In Gaulish and Latin the prefix 'de-' means 'from' or 'derived from'. This would be formed in the same manner as the 'de-ceangli', from the Gangani, and the de-cantae from the Cantiaci. So 'de-metos' is more likely to be 'from the god Dadga'. An alternative is that the Demetae were an offshoot of an earlier tribe whose name is not recorded because they did not survive into the era of Roman expansion. The root 'met' ('de-met-os') appears as a name in Irish Gaelic as 'Ailill mac Máta', so 'Mata' is a perfectly suitable equivalent. That being so, it could be conjectured that Mata was a leader's name, and then a splinter group formed 'from' the older tribe, giving us 'de-mata'.

Ptolemy mentions the Leuca Fluvius (River Loughor, Afon Llwchwr) in connection with the tribe, which divides Llanelli from Swansea and may have formed the tribe's eastern border. There were plenty of hill forts in the tribe's land, which showed an affinity with those found in south-western England. This suggests a level of contact with those people, the Dumnonii, and perhaps a shared heritage from the time at which they were located further east in the country. In all likelihood, these arrivals intermingled with earlier Celto-Ligurian peoples in the region, or possibly with migrants from Ireland. Most of their ordinary folk lived in fortified farmsteads, just as with the Ordovices.

(Additional information by Edward Dawson, and from The Oxford History of England: Roman Britain, Peter Salway.)

c.350 BC

It is estimated that the second wave of Celtic migrants settles in western Britain (Wales) around this time, replacing or absorbing the previous Celto-Ligurian peoples of the Bronze Age and perhaps also (or instead) mingling with immigrants from Ireland. These second wave settlers probably include the early Demetae. Affinities in hill fort construction with the Dumnonii suggests either trading links across the Bristol Channel or a shared heritage.

AD 49

Caratacus, former king of the Catuvellauni and still apparently recognised as High King, moves his base of operations from the territory of the Silures to lead a general coalition against Roman Governor Ostorius from the territory of the Ordovices. The Demetae appear to play little or no part in the king's popular resistance against the invaders, and even Tacitus, writing around AD 98, does not mention them in connection with the Roman invasion. Instead, they remain behind their probable northerly border which the Romans later name Stuctia Fluvius (the Afon Ystwyth), which empties into the Irish Sea at Aberystwyth.

51

The Romans appear to subdue this area of Wales relatively easily with the defeat of High King Caratacus in this year. The Demetae seem to be relatively comfortable with their client status. The Romans also take over their gold mining activities, at sites such as Dolaucothi (which the Romans name Luentinum and which is now in Carmarthenshire, near Pumsaint). These mines are already as much as a thousand years old, predating the arrival of the Demetae in the region.

The Roman tribal capital at Moridunum Demetarum was founded soon after AD 74

c.66

The Kingsholm fortress in the territory of the Dobunni is prone to flooding so a new and larger fortress is built on the higher ground one kilometre to the south, at what becomes Gloucester Cross. It is around this fort that a civilian settlement grows up, forming the early city. Troops are based here in the build up to the invasion of Wales, with the first strike being planned against the Silures and Demetae. However, this is apparently delayed by the events of AD 69, the 'Year of Four Emperors'.

70 - 74

As a prelude to campaigns further north and east, the Romans stamp their authority on the region with the building of roads and forts. One of these is located on what is probably the eastern frontier, at Leuca Fluvius (the River Loughor), perhaps to protect both Romans and Demetae from attacks by the more aggressive Silures on the other side of the river. The fort is named Leucarum (Loughor, now in West Glamorgan).

The tribe is granted civitas status, with a capital at Moridunum Demetarum (British Caerfyrddin, or modern Carmarthen). This is the only major settlement in the territory, formed outside the walls of the fort at Carmarthen which itself is founded about this time. The tribal capital receives little mention after this point, although Ptolemy notes its location and the route to it. The Ravenna Cosmography of about AD 700 calls it Macatonion.

c.140s

In his description of the Ordovices to the north-east, Ptolemy mentions the Stuctia Fluvius (the modern Afon Ystwyth), which possibly forms the border between the two tribes.

c.193 - 217

The Roman fort at Moridunum Demetarum appears to be abandoned or destroyed during the Severan period. Archaeological evidence shows a probable gap in occupation, which is especially visible in the lack of pottery. The site is later reoccupied.

382

Roman authority fades much more quickly in the west than in areas that today form England. Unlike the rich areas in the east, it has always been under military control, and this control has suffered in the fourth century as troop numbers continue to fall. In this year, the former Demetae territory is part of a rearrangement of the western defensive structure. The apparent commander in Britain, Magnus Maximus, gives command of the region to one of his sons, but it quickly evolves into a kingdom named Demetia.