Venta Silurum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Venta Silurum |
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The remains of the town wall
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| Location | Monmouthshire, Wales, UK |
| OS grid reference | ST469905 |
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Venta Silurum was an important town in Roman Britain. Today, you can see its ancient remains in the village of Caerwent in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Many parts of the town have been carefully dug up by archaeologists. These amazing discoveries are now open for everyone to explore.
Contents
History of Venta Silurum
How the Town Started
The Romans built Venta around the year AD 75. It was meant to be a main center for the Silures tribe, who lived in Roman Wales. The name Venta Silurum likely means "Market town of the Silures." This idea is supported by old stone writings found there. One important stone, called the "Civitas Silurum" stone, is now in the local church.
The town was built on a major Roman road. This road connected Isca Augusta (Caerleon) and Glevum (Gloucester). Venta was also close to the Severn Estuary. Unlike the nearby military base at "Isca," Venta was mostly a place for everyday people and government, not for soldiers.
What Happened After the Romans Left?
Even after the Roman soldiers left Britain, people continued to live in Venta until at least the mid-5th century. Early Christian worship was still happening there. Some historians think the town might have even had its own bishop.
A monastery was started by Saint Tatheus in the 6th century. The church you see today stands on what was once an early Christian cemetery.
The name Venta later gave its name to the new Kingdom of Gwent. The town itself became known as Caer-went, which means "the fort of Venta or Gwent." It is said that Caradog Freichfras, a ruler of Gwent, moved his court from Caerwent to Portskewett around the 6th century.
Discovering the Past: Archaeology
Venta Silurum did not have strong defenses until the mid-4th century. That's when large stone town walls were built. A small group of soldiers might have been stationed there during this time.
Today, you can still see big parts of these defensive walls. In some places, they are as tall as 5 metres (16 ft)! Experts have called these walls "the most impressive town defense to survive from Roman Britain." They are also "one of the most perfectly preserved in Northern Europe" because they haven't been rebuilt much since Roman times.
In 1881, during some digging, a beautiful floor mosaic was found. This mosaic showed different kinds of fish. It was uncovered in the garden of a small house.
In 2008, archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology and local volunteers worked together. They found a row of narrow shop buildings. They also discovered a villa (a large Roman house) with painted walls, frescoes (wall paintings) of Roman art, and mosaic floors.
Among the many items they dug up were:
- a bone penknife handle showing two gladiators fighting
- coins
- Roman glassware
- pottery
- human and animal bones
- lead patches used for repairs
- pieces of mosaic
These exciting discoveries were even shown on the TV show Time Team in January 2009.
Today, modern houses cover about half of the old Roman market place. However, you can still see the ruins of several Roman buildings. These include the foundations of a 4th-century temple. Interestingly, most of the houses in Venta did not have fancy mosaic floors or hypocaust-heated floors. This suggests that even though Venta was a big town, it might not have been as culturally rich as some other Roman-British cities.
In 2010, more archaeological work took place. This was done by Monmouth Archaeology when a new garage was being built at Museum Cottage. They found even more interesting items during this project.
See also
In Spanish: Venta Silurum para niños
