In the midst of Roman Britain, or Britannia, stood Venta Silurum, 'the town of the Silurēs'. This town, now an assemblage of remnants in Caerwent, Monmouthshire, southeast Wales, was erected by the Romans around AD 75. Unlike its bellicose namesake, the Silurēs, Venta was no fort but a civilian centre.
Established to oversee the vanquished Silures tribe in Roman Wales, Venta was positioned on the Roman road connecting Isca Augusta (Caerleon) and Glevum (Gloucester). It was located close to the Severn Estuary and was established for civilian administration rather than for military purposes. The nearby Newport Museum houses many of its unearthed relics, including a Four Seasons mosaic and a bone penknife hilt depicting two gladiators fighting.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.