Archaeologists Discover Lost Roman Fort That Could Rewrite an Ancient Welsh Legend
Excavations uncovered pottery, coins and fort defenses that point to a timber auxiliary garrison and may link the site to Magnus Maximus.
- Oxford archaeologist Mark Merrony identified a Roman auxiliary fort near Crymych in Pembrokeshire, Wales, potentially linking the site to the legend of Emperor Magnus Maximus, who purportedly camped nearby in the Preseli Hills.
- Medieval Welsh folklore, including the Mabinogion, recounts Maximus pitching camp on the Preseli Hills' easternmost peak. Long treated as myth, the tale describes how the emperor dreamt of a woman, crossed the sea to Britain, and found her there.
- Excavations in September revealed five trenches containing a commander's house, headquarters building, and granaries. Archaeological findings indicate the fort was likely established during governor Sextus Julius Frontinus's campaign between AD 74 and 78.
- The discovery represents an "extraordinary fusion between myth and reality," Merrony wrote. "If Magnus Maximus was there, there must have been an army there," he told The Guardian, validating the legendary account.
- Ongoing research aims to validate the connection between the military site and ancient legend as Merrony continues tracing the Roman road network from Pembrokeshire into Carmarthenshire. He plans to publish findings in the magazine Antiqvvs.
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der Standard DEA Roman castle and late antique coins are strikingly fitting to a medieval legend around Magnus Maximus. But between find and legend there is a gap
Berliner Morgenpost
Current finds in Wales indicate that a medieval folk tale of a Roman camp is true.
Archaeologists Discover Lost Roman Fort That Could Rewrite an Ancient Welsh Legend
Pottery, coins, and buried defenses point to a Roman fort in west Wales, offering a possible setting for Emperor Magnus Maximus’s camp in medieval Welsh folklore. My recent discovery of a Roman fort and its extraordinary connection with medieval folklore was the fruition of many hours of painstaking research. This all began in 2002 when [...]
Fragments of ceramics, coins and traces of fortifications point to the existence of a Roman fortress in the west of Wales. The discovery may help to clarify the origin of a Welsh medieval tradition that associates the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus with a military camp in the region. The fortress was identified by archaeologist Mark Merrony, a specialist researcher in Roman archaeology at Oxford University. The site was first identified in 2024, n…
A team of archaeologists announced the discovery of a Roman fortress in the west of Wales, which may be linked to the medieval legend of Emperor Magnus Maximus.
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