RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN ROMANO-BRITISH WEST WALES

Recent archaeological research in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire conducted by myself has led to some interesting discoveries that have changed our perception of West Wales in the Romano-British period. In spring 2022, I observed a sunken lane near Carn Bica in the Preseli Hills which I traced in sections, also as a track, west as far as Bwlch Gwynt, and east at Mountain Bâch. In autumn 2022 and winter 2023, I established that this route extended into Carmarthenshire. These observations raise some fundamental questions which I attempt to address in this article. Is it prehistoric or Roman? If the latter, how does it alter our understanding of the region’s integration with Roman Britain? Where are its point of origin and destination? Is it the so-called Golden Road, the Flemish Way, or a medieval or post-medieval drovers’ road? In June 2024, I discovered what I believe to be a significant Roman site in north Pembrokeshire, perhaps an auxiliary fort, although its location is not disclosed. This discovery was followed by a geophysical survey in October, which strengthened this idea and prompted excavations and further geophysical surveys in 2025. The fieldwork and its outcomes are summarised below, as are its implications for the extent of Roman influence in west Wales.

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