Y Gaer, Brecon
Encyclopedia
Y Gaer, Brecon is a Roman fort situated near modern day Brecon
in Mid Wales
, United Kingdom
.
Y Gaer is located at (Landranger 160).
s in the valley of the River Usk
at a strategic point in Roman Wales, linking South Wales
and Mid Wales. It was part of a chain of similar forts, such as Gobannium
at Abergavenny
, a days march away down the Usk valley, and larger bases, such as Moridunum
(Carmarthen
) via Alabum
(Llandovery
), Cardiff Roman Fort
to the south and Isca Augusta
, Caerleon
, the main base for the Roman legion
locally.
The site was excavated in the 1920s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler
, a prominent archaeologist of his day.
The fort was built for a contingent of up to 500 cavalrymen, recruited originally in Spain from the Vettones
, and these Vettonian cavalry would have played a significant part in the conquest of the area held by the Silures
.
Their early stables were wooden and their accommodation basic, protected by clay banks topped with a wooden palisade. This was rebuilt in the 2nd century AD by the Legio II Augusta
and also shows signs of being repaired again in the 4th century.
. It lies on private farmland.
Visitors can see remnants of stone walls standing in parts to some 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height, part of three gatehouses and corner guard towers and several artifacts have been removed to local museums, such as a tombstone of a young cavalryman called Candidus, held at Brecknock Museum
in Brecon.
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
in Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Y Gaer is located at (Landranger 160).
History
Y Gaer was built around AD 75 and sits on a crossroads of Roman roadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
s in the valley of the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
at a strategic point in Roman Wales, linking South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
and Mid Wales. It was part of a chain of similar forts, such as Gobannium
Gobannium
Gobannium was a Roman fort and civil settlement or Castra established by the Roman legions invading what was to become Roman Wales and lies today under the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire in south east Wales.- Documentary evidence :...
at Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
, a days march away down the Usk valley, and larger bases, such as Moridunum
Moridunum (Carmarthen)
Moridunum was a Roman fort and town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Carmarthen, located in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire .-Fort:...
(Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
) via Alabum
Alabum
Alabum was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia Superior, of which Roman Wales was a part.- Location :Its remains are located at Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in the north of Llandovery in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.- History :...
(Llandovery
Llandovery
Llandovery is a market town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the River Tywi and the A40 road.The town is served by Llandovery railway station, where there is a park and ride to Llanelli and Shrewsbury via the Heart of Wales Line...
), Cardiff Roman Fort
Cardiff Roman Fort
Cardiff Roman Fort was a coastal fort in the Roman province of Britannia Superior, of which Roman Wales was a part. Its original Latin name is uncertain. Its remains are incorporated into Cardiff Castle in the modern capital city of Wales.-Name:...
to the south and Isca Augusta
Isca Augusta
Isca Augusta was a Roman legionary fortress and settlement, the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day village of Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city of Newport in South Wales.-Name:...
, Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
, the main base for the Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
locally.
The site was excavated in the 1920s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler
Mortimer Wheeler
Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA , was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century.-Education and career:...
, a prominent archaeologist of his day.
The fort was built for a contingent of up to 500 cavalrymen, recruited originally in Spain from the Vettones
Vettones
The Vettones were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula .- Origins :...
, and these Vettonian cavalry would have played a significant part in the conquest of the area held by the Silures
Silures
The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England...
.
Their early stables were wooden and their accommodation basic, protected by clay banks topped with a wooden palisade. This was rebuilt in the 2nd century AD by the Legio II Augusta
Legio II Augusta
Legio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...
and also shows signs of being repaired again in the 4th century.
Y Gaer Today
The site is in the care of CadwCadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
. It lies on private farmland.
Visitors can see remnants of stone walls standing in parts to some 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height, part of three gatehouses and corner guard towers and several artifacts have been removed to local museums, such as a tombstone of a young cavalryman called Candidus, held at Brecknock Museum
Brecknock Museum
Brecknock Museum is a museum in Brecon, the historic county town of Brecknockshire or Breconshire in Mid Wales. It is managed by Powys County Council.- Location :...
in Brecon.