Caerleon Roman Fortress

Caerleon Roman Fortress is in the south of Wales, some 20 km northeast of Cardiff. In Roman times it was called Isca, after the river Usk. This area was the home of the Celtic tribe the Silures. At first they fought the Romans, but later they became the most Romanized tribe in Wales.

In AD 74 or 75 the Roman governor Sextus Julius Frontinus built a fortress, which was the base of a Roman legion, Legio II Augusta, until the fourth century. The fortress covered an area of 20 hectares and had the typical shape of a playing card, i.e. a rectangle with round corners. The Romans had standard rules for the orientation of a fortress and for the different buildings inside it, but there was always room for local variations. No two fortresses are exactly alike.

The modern town is built on top of the ancient fortress. Accordingly, it is not so easy for archaeologists to work there. But the outline of the fortress is visible. Several buildings have been identified, and some of them have been uncovered. The foundations of these buildings are visible today.

This ancient site is the subject of an excellent guidebook written by Jeremy Knight and published by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments. The book is divided into two parts. The first part presents the history of the site. The second part presents what you can see today. The text is illustrated by a large number of photos, drawings, and maps. All illustrations are in colour. All illustrations are helpful and instructive.

The photos show the current situation. They show what is visible today. The drawings are modern reconstructions. They show what a particular building (probably) looked like when it was new. The maps give us orientation: we have the Roman Empire on page 7, and Wales on page 10. A fold out map printed on the inside of the back cover shows the whole fortress in black-and-white, with the modern town superimposed in red colour. Other maps show a minor detail of the site: we have the amphitheatre on page 35, and the Prysg Field Barracks on page 45.

The second part of the booklet - “A Tour of Roman Isca” – is divided into four parts:

* The Fortress Baths

* The Amphitheatre

* The South-West Fortress Defences

* The Prysg Field Barracks

Caerleon’s amphitheatre is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in Britain. The auditorium (cavea) could seat around 6,000 spectators, slightly more than the number of soldiers in a legion.

[For more information about this topic see The Roman Amphitheatre in Britain by Tony Wilmott.]

The text is well written. The author is careful with the details. Let me give you two examples:

(1) When he mentions the Roman governor Sextus Julius Frontinus (on page 9), he adds the following words:

“an experienced soldier and in later life a writer of important books on military tactics and on the water supply of Rome (he became the director of the city’s water supply).”

If the author only gave us the name of the governor, he would remain rather anonymous. By adding a few details about the governor, the author makes sure that we can remember him.

(2) When he mentions the smallest unit of the Roman army, the century (centuria) (on page 43), he explains the meaning of the word:

“As its name implies, each century at one time comprised 100 men, but at the time Isca was established, the complement had become 80.”

Even though this is a rather brief account, there are several cross-references, which are very helpful. On pp. 16-17 there is a drawing with the following caption:

“An artist’s reconstruction of the defences in the north-western corner of the fortress, as they may have appeared in the late first century. The defences and barracks are shown in timber, but there is no certain evidence for the towers.”

On pp. 40-41 there is an almost similar drawing. This time the caption contains two cross-references:

“An artist’s impression of the north-western corner of the fortress as it may have appeared in the early second century (compare with illustration on pp. 16-17). A stone wall and turrets have now been added to the front of the eastern rampart. The barracks within the Prysg Field (pp. 42-46) are shown as stone constructions.”

The text and the illustrations support and complement each other very well. Let me give you just one example: when the author mentions the covered exercise hall (the Basilica) in the section about the Fortress Baths (pp. 20-21), he adds the following:

“There was room for architects end engineers to experiment, and the superstructure and vault of the Fortress Baths may have resembled the surviving frigidarium of the Cluny Baths in Paris.”

Next to this passage there is a photo which shows the cold room (frigidarium) of the Cluny Baths in Paris. Just what we need, and just where we need it.

Caerleon Roman Fortress is an important and interesting historical monument. It is worth a visit. The guidebook about the site – written by Jeremy Knight – is excellent. Read it before you go. It will help you understand and appreciate what you see. Bring it with you when you go. The maps will help you find the way, and make sure you won’t get lost in this charming Welsh village.

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Jeremy K. Knight,

Caerleon Roman Fortress,

Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments,

First published 1988, second revised edition 1994, 48 pages

 

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A third revised  edition of the guidebook for Caerleon, also written by Jeremy Knight,

was published Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments in 2003. Here is the cover:

 

 

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