Caerleon, a quiet village on the River Usk in South Wales was a bustling Roman port for 200 years. From 75 CE, around 6,000 soldiers were stationed here at the northern headwater of the Bristol Channel.
Remains of the legionary fortress known as Isca Augusta can be seen as well as the fortress bathhouse, the most complete excavated amphitheatre in Britain and the foundations of a series of Roman barracks – the only ones on view anywhere in Europe.
The National Roman Legion Museum (free to visit) lies inside what remains of the fortress and has half a million objects on display, including a nifty frying pan with a folding handle designed to fit inside a soldier’s pack and 88 lost gemstones found in the bathhouse drains.
Nearby, you can explore Caerleon Roman Baths where soldiers unwound and see the remains of the immense ‘natatio’ – an open-air swimming pool that once held 363,000 litres of water. Just up the road are the impressive ruins of the amphitheatre (pictured), built to provide seating for up to 6,000 bloodthirsty spectators who would perch on wooden benches to watch displays of gladiatorial combat.
Not far away, in Prysg Field, are some barracks remains. Excavated in the 1920s, you can see one block of original Roman masonry, three blocks of stone replicas and the positions of the bread ovens, latrines and centurions’ quarters.
