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Roman fort lends new weight to Welsh emperor legend

Coins and remains of a military settlement near Frenni Fawr point to a Roman presence, but do not prove that Emperor Magnus Maximus stayed there.

Archaeologists have further investigated a Roman fort in Pembrokeshire that may be connected to an old Welsh legend. Finds from the late fourth century make the story’s historical background more plausible, but a direct link to Emperor Magnus Maximus remains unproven.

The fort lies approximately 3.5 kilometres south-west of the summit of Frenni Fawr in the Preseli Hills. Archaeologist Mark Merrony of the University of Oxford identified the structure in 2024 after satellite images showed a distinctive shape in an overgrown field. A Roman tile then led to further investigation.

The recent excavation uncovered, among other things, two coins from the late fourth century, pottery, roof tiles, an iron writing stylus and remains of compacted floor layers. Traces of wagon wheels are also visible. Geophysical research mapped several buildings within the enclosure.

The structure measures approximately 180 by 150 metres and, according to the researchers, has the characteristic shape of a Roman auxiliary fort: rectangular with rounded corners. Its size would have provided room for approximately five hundred soldiers. That is an estimate based on the layout, not a directly counted number of inhabitants.

The find touches on The Dream of Macsen Wledig, a medieval Welsh story from the Mabinogion. In it, Magnus Maximus, called Macsen Wledig in Welsh, is connected with a military camp near Frenni Fawr. Until now, no corresponding Roman military site had been known for that geographical reference.

The coins give the legend a possible historical context, but they do not prove that Magnus Maximus was personally at the fort. Coins may have been used or lost long after they were produced. It has also not yet been established how long the fort was occupied or precisely what role it played in the Roman military organisation.

Magnus Maximus was proclaimed emperor by his troops in Britain in 383 and died in 388 after an unsuccessful power struggle. The dating of the coins falls within the same broad period, but that does not yet firmly establish a connection with one specific campaign.

The discovery could nevertheless change the picture of the Roman presence in western Wales. The region was previously associated less often with Roman military activity than the better-known forts in the north and south-east. The new site suggests that the Roman army may also have played a greater role in the west.

The research has not yet been published as a peer-reviewed study. Further excavations and analyses must clarify the dating, function and duration of occupation. According to the researcher involved, the results are being prepared for publication in the archaeological journal Antiqvvs.

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