A potential Roman ‘mega’ fort, capable of housing hundreds of soldiers, has been unearthed beneath farmland in Wales. This discovery has the potential to rewrite our understanding of Roman presence in the region, suggesting a more fortified presence than previously thought.
Mark Merrony, a local archaeologist and editor-in-chief of the online archaeology and history magazine Antiqvvs, made the remarkable find in Pembrokeshire, a county in southwest Wales. Merrony, who had been tracking what he believed to be a Roman road for years, stumbled upon the fort’s remnants while cycling the route.
“I’ve cycled this road numerous times and always wondered why it ended. You can look at something 500 times and not see anything. But then I had a eureka moment,” he told Live Science. Merrony’s suspicions were confirmed by the farm owner, who struggled to cultivate the land due to the abundance of slate and stone buried within.
The unearthed site, estimated to be approximately 607 by 509 feet (185 by 155 meters), is believed to date back to between the first and third centuries. Its strategic location on a slope overlooking a river valley suggests its importance for military surveillance. The fort’s layout, resembling a ‘playing card’ with rounded corners and surrounded by banks and ditches, bears the hallmarks of a classic Roman fort.
Merrony’s excavation revealed evidence of multiple buildings, including a potential commander’s house, administrative block, barrack block, granary, and a garrison that could have housed as many as 500 men. He also uncovered a Roman roofing slate, further confirming the site’s Roman origin.
Beyond the main fort, Merrony found evidence of a smaller fort nearby, connected by what he believes might be an aqueduct. This suggests a more complex and extensive Roman presence in the area than initially believed.
The discovery of the fort challenges the long-held notion that the Romans and the native Celtic Demetae coexisted peacefully. Merrony believes the Romans may have had a more forceful presence in the region than previously understood, suggesting potential conflict rather than cooperation.
“They were thought to be pro-Roman, but now I don’t think that’s true at all. They were hitting this area with an iron fist,” Merrony stated.
Ken Dark, an archaeologist and historian at King’s College London, who was not involved in the project, acknowledged the significance of the finding. While emphasizing the need for further investigation, he expressed the potential impact of the discovery on our understanding of Roman Britain.
“Although currently the evidence is rather tenuous, discovering a major Roman fort in southwest Wales would be an important addition to our knowledge of Roman Britain. As such, this suggestion definitely needs following up with geophysical survey and, if that proves promising, probably evaluation by limited excavation.”
This latest discovery adds to Merrony’s impressive track record of uncovering Roman structures in Wales. He previously discovered Roman villas in 2002 and 2016, and in 2022, identified another Roman road. The ongoing investigation into this potential Roman fort promises to provide valuable insights into the history of Roman presence in Wales and its impact on the region’s indigenous population.
