A Latin monastic chronicle claims that builders found the body of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus during construction of the castle and planned town. Maximus had been made emperor in Britain before invading Italy. The objection to the burial story is that he was defeated, captured, and executed in Italy in 388. Returning his body all the way to Wales is treated as extremely unlikely. A high-status Roman burial near Segontium remains a plausible alternative, since Romans practised burial as well as cremation. Finding such a burial would still leave the identity of the person unproved.
Notable Point · 24:31-29:20
Testing the claimed burial of Magnus Maximus
A monastic chronicle's identification of Magnus Maximus at Caernarfon is tested against his death in Italy and the possibility of a different Roman burial.