Cicutio, more commonly known today as Y Gaer (or Brecon Gaer), was a Roman auxiliary fort situated at the confluence of the Usk and Yscir rivers, approximately three miles west of modern Brecon. Established c. AD 75 during the Flavian campaigns against the Silures and Ordovices, it was initially a turf-and-timber fort covering roughly 7.5–8 acres, rebuilt in stone in the early 2nd century, and remained in use — with periods of reduced occupation — into the late 3rd or early 4th century. A garrison of around 500 men, including at one point the Cohors II Hispana (an attested cavalry unit), was based here.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Y Gaer was a key strategic node in the network of forts controlling central and southern Wales, linking Roman roads running west to Llandovery (Alabum), south to Cardiff, east to Abergavenny (Gobannium), and north to Castell Collen. A small civilian vicus developed outside the walls, indicating its role as both a military base and a modest local hub in an otherwise sparsely Romanised upland landscape.
The site was extensively excavated by Mortimer Wheeler in 1924–25, revealing the stone defences with four gateways (parts of the south and west gates still standing to several courses), barrack blocks, a headquarters building (principia), commandant's house, and bath-house traces, along with tombstones and altars from the sur
Cicutio, more commonly known today as Y Gaer (or Brecon Gaer), was a Roman auxiliary fort situated at the confluence of the Usk and Yscir rivers, approximately three miles west of modern Brecon. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
‘Cicutio’ is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Cefn-Brynich (7.3 km), Pen-y-Gaer Roman fort (18.2 km), Three Cocks Roman fort (18.4 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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