Talk:Aquae Arnemetiae

Celtic temple

I've tagged the paragraph about the ancient Celtic temple with {{better source needed}}. It is currently cited to Jill Armitage, Celtic Queen. For those who don't have access to this book, here's what it says about the temple:

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The Pavilion gardens, previously known as the Bath Garden, are sited in the area that would have encompassed the sacred grove. In the 19th century, when Miller [sic] remodelled the gardens, a Celtic temple that had stood for 2,000 years was demolished. It was said that in 1755 almost all the lettering could still be read, but decoding proved problematic. The name Aeona was deciphered with a spot of guesswork, and unless she was a local deity of which we now have no trace, it was decided that this temple was dedicated to either Epona, horse goddess, or Apona, healing water goddess. Considering its location, the latter would be more likely. The temple's octagonal base was retained and still exists in surprisingly good condition near the footbridge over the River Wye. Circular discs cover indents in the stone where columns would have been inserted.

My concern is that Armitage is a journalist, not a historian or an archaeologist, and she doesn't tell us where she got this information. I can't find any other sources that corroborate the story, nor can I find any relevant information in newspaper coverage from the time of Milner's restoration of the garden. I also haven't been able to locate any other reference to a Celtic goddess named "Apona". The fact that Milner's name is mistakenly given as "Miller" should make us wary of trusting any of the other details. The paragraph I tagged presents several WP:EXTRAORDINARY claims about this supposed Celtic temple, and I don't believe the Armitage source is good enough to support them. Sojourner in the earth (talk) 19:19, 19 November 2023 (UTC)