Cowbridge
Roman Settlement
The town of Cowbridge stands atop at a 1st century Roman settlement. The origins of the Roman presence here are shrouded in mystery. The settlement may be the site recorded as Bovium (or Bomio), though that site has also been identified with the Roman fort at Cardiff.
The Roman site was occupied into the 4th century, but there are almost no remains visible above ground today. There are large ditches behind the Midland Bank and more ditches near the local authority depot.
Military Units in Cowbridge
The Roman settlement was first unearthed in 1977 when excavations on Coopers Lane, opposite Old Hall, found evidence of shops and houses. More excavations behind Bear Lane discovered evidence of a large military presence. Finds of bricks stamped with an imprint of Legio Secundae Augusta – The Second Augustan Legion suggests a sizeable military site. The bricks were found in the remains of a 2nd century bathhouse, or thermae. The bathhouse was abandoned by the early 2nd century. It seems likely that the Second Augustan Legion was based at Cowbridge until it was posted north to defend Hadrian’s Wall.
Roman Milestones in Glamorgan
A number of Roman milestones have been found on the coastal road between Neath and Cardiff. One lies to the immediate south-west of the Nidum fort at Melincryddan (SS7496), and others have been unearthed further along the same stretch of road at Aberafon (SS7588), Port Talbot (SS7887), Margam (SS8184) and Pyle (SS8282). In the texts below, the full names and titles of the emperors have been added in translation, displayed within [square brackets] for clarification.
RIB2251 - Milestone of Victorinus
M C PIA
VONIO
VICTOR
INO AVG
RIB2253 - Milestone of Licinius
CAES
[...] NO V
[...] LIC
[...] P F A
[...]G
RIB2254 - Milestone of Maximinus Daia
FLA [...]
L MAXI
MINO
INVIC
TO AV
GVS
RIB2256 - Milestone of Diocletian and Maximian
DIO
CLETI
ANO
ET MΛRI
[...]VRE
INV A
VG
All of these milestones show that there was a considerable amount of road-building or resurfacing work going on in Britain during the latter half of the third century and the early part of the fourth.
References for
- Chronicle of the Roman Emperors by Chris Scarre (Thames & Hudson, London, 1995);
- Chronology of the Ancient World by E.J. Bickerman (Thames & Hudson, London, 1980);
- The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford 1965);