Huge Roman villa found in Wales dubbed ‘Port Talbot’s Pompeii’
In a “staggering” discovery that archaeologists have described as the “Pompeii of Talbot Harbour”, the buried remains of the largest Roman villa ever found in Wales have been identified beneath south coast parkland.
The ruins were discovered when a team was assembled to survey the pre-industrial heritage of Margam Park on the edge of Port Talbot, and they struck “gold” when geophysical surveys revealed the footprint of an unexpectedly large Roman villa complex.
The team led by Swansea University’s Heritage Research and Education Center (TABLE) said the villa was “of a scale and level of protection unmatched in the region” and would offer “unique insights into the national story of Wales”.
project leader Doctor Alex LanglandsAn associate professor and co-director of CHART said: Independent When the scale of the find was revealed, “it was as if I was transported back to my childhood and the pure enthusiasm I had for archeology at the time”.
Dr Langlands described his excitement when he saw a screenshot of the geophysical surveys. “I was literally like, ‘Oh my God.’ I couldn’t believe it… Morphologically, you can immediately recognize the shape of a monument, and there was no doubt that it was a Roman villa.
“This is an incredible discovery. We always thought we would find something dating to the Romano-British period, but we never imagined it would be so clear and have such great potential in terms of what it could tell us about the first millennium AD in South Wales.”
The site’s location in an ancient deer park also means that the team expects a high level of protection: the area has never been used for agriculture and has therefore never been plowed.
Mosaics, tiled floors, painted wall plasters, underfloor heating systems and even “high status sculptures” are among the things one can expect to find when investigating the site in the future.
“This is a place where you can eat, be entertained and project your wealth and power. Even without Britannia, dignitaries from all over South Wales were almost certain to visit and learn,” Dr Langlands said.
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“It has the capacity to really change the way we think about Roman Britain and certainly Roman Wales and what was going on there in the late third and early fourth centuries,” he added.
While many questions remain about the building’s use and why it fell into disrepair, Dr. Langlands said: “We can draw one conclusion. Margam, a place that may have even given its name to the historic region of Glamorgan, is one of the most important centers of power in Wales and its geographical position places it firmly at the gateway between the rugged uplands of west Wales and the fertile valley to the east.”
Christian Bird, technical manager at Terradat, which carried out the geophysical surveys, said: “The surveys went extremely well and the high-resolution magnetometry and GPR data are extremely clear, identifying and mapping the villa structure, surrounding ditches and wider layout of the site in 3D.”
The villa is located within a “defense area” of 43 x 55 metres; The team suggested that this could either be the remains of an earlier Iron Age defended settlement or reflect instability in the late Roman world and the need to defend against external attacks from both east and west.
There is also evidence of a large agricultural storage building to the southeast, or a structure related to the later history of the area, an “important corridor building” which they say was “possibly a meeting hall for post-Roman leaders and their followers”.
The main aim of the project was to stimulate local interest in the rich history already known in the area, which is home to Margam Monastery, a monastic monastery.
Swansea University said the joint project was funded by Neath Port Talbot Council and also involved Margam Abbey Church and had already “bringing together communities, students, volunteers and SMEs from across the region”.
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Dr Langlands said: “We set up the project to engage local people, community members and volunteers… There were more than 350 primary school children on site. We looked at past excavations. We wanted to capture the power of heritage to change the narrative. These are difficult times at the moment, particularly for Port Talbot. So what other stories can we tell here?”
Cllr Cen Phillips, of Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “Heritage is a key asset for Neath Port Talbot and this fantastic finding underlines why as a council we have established our Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Events Fund using SPF [Shared Prosperity Fund] Funding from the UK government.
“Our heritage strategy recognizes its power to connect our communities, celebrate our shared identity and inspire future generations. By valuing and protecting this heritage, we strengthen local pride, attract visitors and create opportunities for learning and growth. I am incredibly excited to learn more from this untold chapter of Margam Park’s long story.”
