Wolfson Fellow discovers ‘mega’ Roman fort in Wales

In a significant discovery for the understanding of Roman Britain, a Wolfson Fellow has uncovered a previously unknown Roman fort in Wales.

Dr Mark Merrony, Supernumerary Fellow and Roman specialist in the Wolfson Ancient World Research Cluster, made the thrilling discovery next to his previous discovery of a Roman road in Pembrokeshire.

The site, hidden until now under a large, overgrown field, contradicts long-held beliefs that the area’s indigenous Celtic tribe was on peaceful terms with the Roman invaders. Previously thought to have been pro-Roman, Dr Merrony’s discovery suggests that this part of Wales was actually considerably more militarised: “I now don’t think they were pro-Roman at all, but that the Romans were hitting the area with an iron fist.”

Believed to date from the first to the third centuries, when the Celtic Demetae tribe inhabited the south-west area of modern Wales, the fort’s form and size suggests that it was intended for a single unit of around 500 troops. It resembles the only other known Roman fort in Pembrokeshire, excavated at Wiston near Haverfordwest in 2013.

This new uncovering will further counter assumptions that the Romans didn’t venture far into Wales, music to the ears of Dr Merrony, a native of Pembrokeshire who believes that the site will be declared an archaeological site of national importance.

You can read more about Mark’s discovery on various news outlets as the story has been covered globally on sites including BBC, Guardian Online and Newsweek