Roman revelation

Staff and students from Cardiff University were stunned to unearth previously undiscovered Roman remains right next to the existing fortress at Caerleon in South Wales. The students from the University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion were being shown how to use geophysical equipment in fields that weren’t thought to have been occupied by the Romans. After just 10 days they had discovered a complex of huge buildings squeezed in between the existing site and the nearby River Usk.

Dr Peter Guest, senior lecturer in Roman Archaeology at the school, said: “Caerleon is one of the best-known Roman sites in Britain, so it was a great surprise to realise that we had found something completely new and unexpected.”

It is not yet known what the newly discovered buildings would have been used for, but they include one of the largest Roman structures discovered in Britain. The building may have been a palatial residential villa building.

Over the past four years students and staff have been involved in unearthing eight barrack blocks, three large granaries, a metal workshop and a store building. This new find is likely to lead to a rethink on how the site was used.