For nearly seventeen centuries, a Welsh legend has claimed that a Roman emperor camped beside a hill in Pembrokeshire. Historians could never confirm it, because no Roman military site had been found near the spot. That has now changed. Archaeologists have uncovered a heavily fortified Roman fort in the Preseli Hills, together with fourth-century coins, tiles, pottery and the remains of a headquarters building. The discovery suggests the medieval tale of Macsen Wledig may rest on real history. Here is who found the fort, what the legend says, what the dig revealed, and why it matters for understanding Roman Wales. The find offers fresh evidence of Rome’s reach into west Wales and raises new questions about the military presence that once occupied this remote landscape.
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