The rectangular enclosure that defined this Roman fort was built in the 70s AD as part of the campaign to integrate southern Wales into the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Britannia Superior Britannia Superior (Latin for "Upper Britain") was a province of Roman Britain created after the civil war between Septimius Severus and Claudius Albinus. Although Herodian credits Severus with dividing Roman Britain into the Northern territory ...

. It lay on a key road, now known as the Sarn Helen (RR69), from the legionary fortress of

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or ''vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban village of Caerleon in the north of the city of ...

(

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

) that ran north west across Wales to Bremia and on to North Wales. It also sat on a road (the Via Julia Montana, or RR623) running from

Moridunum (Carmarthen) Moridunum was a Roman fort and town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Carmarthen, located in the Wales, Welsh county of Carmarthenshire (formerly in the county of Dyfed). Fort Moridunum ( "sea fort") was the civitas capita ...

across to eastern Wales at Castell Collen (

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys ...

). It thus held an important crossroads along with a bridging point over the

River Towy The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower sl ...

, and the town that grew up near the fort retained its significance and became

Llandovery Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon. Histo ...

Name and Designation

The name Alabum is known from a 7th century list of places known as the

Ravenna Cosmography The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Text ...

and is identified as this particular

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

from the arrangement of the named places along the Roman road network. The western side of the site has some well preserved scarped banks although much of the fort has been built-over or otherwise obscured. Early documentation of the site was made in 1873, where it was suggested it could be the location for 'Loventinum', a place name recorded by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

for which

Pumsaint Pumsaint is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, halfway between Llanwrda and Lampeter on the A482 in the valley of the Afon Cothi. It forms part of the extensive estate of Dolaucothi, which is owned by the National Trust. The name is Welsh fo ...

has subsequently been the preferred location. The Llandovery fort was noted on the First Series

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

map of 1888. In 1949 the Llandovery site was identified as a good fit for the place-name of Alabum. On 11 April 1961 it was designated a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

(Ref. CM188), giving the site statutory protection from damage.

Location

The enclosure is by and at some point was reduced in size. The presence of some earlier ceramics and evidence from stratigraphy hints at a possible earlier (50s AD) beginning to the fort. It is located within the former parish of

Llanfair-ar-y-bryn Llanfair-y-bryn is the name of a sparsely populated, rural community and Church in Wales parish in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Covering an area of some 95 km², it lies along and to the northwest and southeast of the A483 Swansea to Chester road ...

and is within the community of

in the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. The road now known as Llanfair Hill runs through the site of the fort enclosure, and may well be on the line of one of the Roman streets. St Mary's Church, a 12th century building on the site of an earlier monastic cell, also stands within the fort enclosure.

History

The fort was probably built in the 1st century with an enclosing rampart and double ditch. A quadruple ditch was dug on the north-east side to protect the flat terrain in that direction. A stone revetment was later added. A military

bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

lay between the fort and the

River Bran A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wat ...

. The chain of military forts across southern Wales appear to have been active between the 70s to 120s AD, although there is some evidence of the site still being occupied into the 4th century. A faint earthwork can still be seen around the church of St Mary which has Roman tiles incorporated into its fabric.

References

External links

Alabum on Roman Britain website
{{Authority control Roman fortifications in Carmarthenshire Archaeological sites in Carmarthenshire Roman legionary fortresses in Wales Llandovery