About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Sunday, December 04, 2016

V is for VENTA SILURUM


Venta Silurum was a Roman town in the province of Britannia (Britain) that was established in AD75.  Today, some of its remains can be seen in the village of Caerwent, Monmouthshire in south east Wales.  One day this past summer, my friend Jane and I were on our way home after spending most of the day at a place nearby.  Jane said that she often goes by this way, but had never stopped to see what was beyond the wall at the side of the road.  She suggested we investigate.  Lo and behold it was part of the remains of Venta Silurum!

A sign told us quite a bit of history of the place and referred us to other areas within the village center. So off we went, found a parking spot at the side of the road and started to explore. "Venta Silurum" apparently means "market town of the Silures" (a Roman tribe in Wales).  For more history of the place, check out sites online.  Not everyone is interested in the history of the Romans in Wales, but if you are, it's quite extensive.  There's a Roman museum and amphitheater in Caerleon that I visited in 2006 with Jane.  Following are some shots from then. 

The village of Caerwent continues to excavate, concentrating on the forum-basilica (the market place and civic hall) of Venta Silurum in order to study the urbanisation of Rome-Britain.  It's incredible how the village has grown around these ruins...imagine having that history in "your" backyard!

So this year, having seen the Roman ruins in Caerwent, I thought I'd put a few shots on a slideshow. I chose the music, called "The Emperor" because it sounds just like you'd hear in a movie when the Roman troops come marching in...powerful yet haunting.   So enjoy - only 12 photos, most mine but a couple from Mr. Google.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

20 comments:

photowannabe said...

I never think about the Romans being in Wales.
That would have been so fascinating for me to see.
Great photos Leslie.

Reader Wil said...

This is again an interesting post about Wales. It is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and it has an interesting language.

Hildred said...

Doesn't it ignite the imagination. Life in those times!

ellen b said...

So much interesting history in the U.K. Glad you stopped to see what was on the other side...

Roger Owen Green said...

you are always so erudite!
ROG, ABCW

Photo Cache said...

You have a lot of charming villages in your back pocket :) Thanks.

Amit Agarwal said...

Great to know about this nice place:)

MelodyK said...

So you don't need any proof anymore of the fact that there are surprises just around the corner ;-)
Just an unplanned turn off a road you're on can show you unexpected beauty

Have a nice ABC-day / – Week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/a-b-c-wednesday-19-v/

Lea said...

Very interesting!
Hope you are having a great week!

Joy said...

That is a sizable site on "the other side of the wall", how it must have grown and developed over the years of Roman occupation. A fascinating part of history.

carol l mckenna said...

What a name and great for V ~ intriguing and fun photography ~

Wishing you a happy week ~ ^_^

photodoug said...

The Romans' domain was extensive. Thanks for sharing.

Klara S said...

Some pictures are really funny, you know which ones I mean :) I like the first photo and the wall.

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Very interesting!

Carin Diaz said...

The best is the last picture.

Devilish Angel said...

Nice pics...

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Wow! What an amazing place. I would love to visit there one day.

Ann said...

Just did my DNA and found out that 30% of my ancestors came from Eastern Europe. Beautiful.
Ann

Unknown said...

good one
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Satta King said...

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