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.