Gelligaer in the upland of southeast Wales is actually the site of two successive Roman forts. The earlier (Gelligaer I), a larger turf-and-timber auxiliary fort of c. 75 AD, was established during the Flavian conquest of the Silures under Frontinus. It was superseded around AD 103–111 (under Trajan) by a smaller, well-built stone fort (Gelligaer II) of roughly 1.2 hectares, designed to hold a part-mounted cohort and occupied into the mid-2nd century.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The fort was a key garrison post on the Roman road running north from Cardiff through the South Wales coalfield uplands toward Brecon Gaer, anchoring control of the Silurian hinterland. Its replacement in stone under Trajan makes Gelligaer one of the most completely planned and preserved early-2nd-century auxiliary forts in Britain, frequently cited as a "textbook" example of fort design.
The stone fort was extensively excavated by John Ward in 1899–1913, revealing the full plan with principia, praetorium, granaries, barracks, gates and a bath-house outside the defences, alongside an attached annexe and parade ground. The earlier turf fort was identified later by aerial photography and limited excavation to the northwest, and finds — including stamped tiles, altars and a building inscription of Trajan — confirm the early-2nd-century rebuild date.
Gelligaer in the upland of southeast Wales is actually the site of two successive Roman forts. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Gelligaer 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 Gelligaer Roman Fort II (0 km), Caerphilly Roman fort (10 km), Penydarren Roman fort (12.8 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Gelligaer