Venta Silurum
Venta Silurum, located in present-day Caerwent, Wales, was a significant Roman town in eastern Britannia and served as the capital of the Silures, a British tribe known for their resistance to Roman conquest until AD 74. After its conquest, the Romans refounded the settlement, establishing defensive structures including a bank, ditch, and later, impressive stone walls around AD 200. The town features well-preserved remnants of its defenses, characterized as some of the finest in Britain. Key architectural elements include a forum, a pagan basilica, baths, and a late amphitheater, reflecting the town's vibrant social and cultural life. Excavations have revealed a variety of residential structures, from simple homes to elaborate mansions adorned with mosaics and advanced heating systems. During the later Roman Empire, Venta Silurum played a defensive role against maritime threats to the Bristol Channel. However, by around AD 440, it faced destruction, likely due to incursions from raiders, possibly originating from Ireland. This historical site illustrates the complexity of Roman-British interactions and the legacy of urban life in ancient Britain.
Subject Terms
Venta Silurum
(Caerwent)
A town in eastern Britannia (Gwent, South Wales). The capital of the British tribe of the Silures, a tribe that resisted Roman annexation until its conquest by Sextus Julius Frontinus in AD 74. The Romans refounded the settlement later in the same century, and a bank and ditch surrounded it before 130. Stone walls were built c200 (when the city belonged to the province of Upper Britain) and polygonal bastions added after 340; this is the finest surviving stretch of town defences in Britain. Opposite the forum and pagan basilica stood the principal baths; in addition, there was a second bathing establishment, a late amphitheater, and two Romano-British temples. Numerous houses have also been excavated, ranging from modest dwellings, associated with shops, to courtyard mansions decorated with wall paintings and floor mosaics and equipped with heating arrangements (hypocausts).
During the later empire, Venta Silurum served, together with a late fort at Cardiff, as a strong point in the defence of the Bristol Channel against searovers. It seems to have been some of these raiders, however—probably originating from Hibernia (Ireland)—who were responsible for the destruction of the fortress c 440.