In a remarkable archaeological find, researchers have uncovered the remains of a large Roman villa in the heart of Margam Country Park, near Port Talbot, Wales. This unexpected discovery has shed new light on the region’s rich history, challenging the long-held notion that it was on the fringes of the Roman Empire.
The villa, which has been dubbed the “Port Talbot Pompeii,” is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Wales, measuring an impressive 43 metres by 55 metres. According to Alex Langlands, an associate professor of heritage and history at Swansea University and the project lead for ArchaeoMargam, the discovery is a “lifetime find” that has the potential to rewrite the narrative of Roman Britain.
“Until now, Wales in the Romano-British period has, for the most part, been about legionary forts, Roman practice camps, marching camps, and Roman roads,” Langlands explained. “This paints a different picture. This wasn’t necessarily a frontier zone, an unstable place. The villa suggests, to use a problematic word, that it was civilised.”
The villa appears to have been set within a substantial enclosure, with a large agricultural storage building or meeting hall located to the southeast. Langlands believes the Margam villa could be comparable to the luxurious homes found in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Dorset, suggesting that the area may have been an important agricultural centre during the Roman era.
Remarkably, the site’s preservation is attributed to its use as a deer park over the centuries, which has protected it from the damaging effects of intensive ploughing. Langlands is hopeful that the floor surfaces and wall foundations will be well-preserved, allowing for a detailed investigation of the villa’s layout and features.
The discovery of this “Port Talbot Pompeii” has not only provided a fascinating glimpse into the region’s past but has also challenged the long-held assumptions about Wales’ role within the Roman Empire. As the team at ArchaeoMargam continues to explore the site, they are confident that this remarkable find will shed new light on the rich history of the area and the lives of those who inhabited it centuries ago.
