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Archaeologists have unearthed the largest Roman villa ever discovered in Wales, a finding hailed as an “amazing discovery” with the potential to transform understandings of the region and, as some suggest, become “Port Talbot’s Pompeii.”
Dr. Alex Langlands, the project lead, expressed astonishment at the scale of the discovery. “My eyes nearly popped out of my skull,” he stated, after ground-penetrating radar revealed the “huge structure” within Margam Country Park.
The villa’s location within a historical deer park is particularly significant. The land’s undisturbed nature, free from plowing or construction, suggests the villa’s remains, lying less than a meter below the surface, are exceptionally well-preserved.
A collaborative effort involving Swansea University, Neath Port Talbot council, and Margam Abbey Church, those involved have characterized the discovery as offering “unparalleled information about Wales’ national story.”
The team’s findings have been exclusively shared with BBC News prior to a formal announcement.
The geophysical surveys of the park, a popular visitor destination in south Wales, were commissioned as part of a broader initiative to engage local school pupils and the wider community in learning more about the area’s rich heritage.
Advanced scanning technology facilitated the mapping of potential archaeological features concealed beneath the ground.
The team “struck gold,” uncovering the footprint of a substantial 572 sq m Roman villa, complete with surrounding fortifications.
Dr. Langlands, co-director of Swansea University’s Centre for Heritage Research and Training, described the structure as a “really impressive and prestigious” building, likely adorned with statues and intricate mosaic floors.
“We’ve got what looks to be a corridor villa with two wings and a veranda running along the front,” he explained.
“It’s around 43m (141ft) long and looks to have six main rooms [to the front] with two corridors leading to eight rooms at the rear.”
“Almost certainly you’ve got a major local dignitary making themselves at home here,” he added.
“This would have been quite a busy place – the centre of a big agricultural estate and lots of people coming and going.”
As a single structure, it represents the largest villa discovery to date in Wales.
While existing knowledge of Roman presence in Wales is largely based on military camps and forts, opulent estates of this nature are comparatively rare finds.
The discovery necessitates a “rewrite [of] the way we think about south Wales in the Romano-British period,” according to Dr. Langlands.
“This part of Wales isn’t some sort of borderland, the edge of empire – in fact there were buildings here just as sophisticated and as high status as those we get in the agricultural heartlands of southern England.”
The find also suggests that Margam, “a place that may even have lent its name to the historic region of Glamorgan,” was “one of the most important centers of power in Wales.”
Christian Bird of TerraDat, the Welsh firm responsible for conducting the surveys, noted that the images were “remarkably clear, identifying and mapping in 3D the villa structure, surrounding ditches and wider layout of the site.”
This includes a substantial 354 sq m aisled building to the south-east of the villa, which the team believes may have functioned as a barn or meeting hall.
The villa’s precise location is being withheld at this time to safeguard it from potential intrusion by unscrupulous metal detectorists.
According to Dr. Langlands, the immediate priority is site conservation, followed by further surveying and the pursuit of funding for future excavation endeavors.
He playfully alluded to the site’s potential as “Port Talbot’s Pompeii,” drawing a comparison to the ancient Roman city famously preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
“A lot of archaeologists get wound up by connections made with Pompeii, but I think it’s in part justified because of the levels of preservation here,” he stated.
“We can see that in the survey data first and foremost, but we also know this has been a deer park for hundreds of years – it hasn’t been subject to the type of ploughing [that has damaged many other villa sites].”
“There’s a really exciting prospect that we’ve got really good survival of archaeological evidence and the potential, therefore, to tell a huge amount about what life was like back in the first, second, third, fourth, and maybe even into the 5th Century.”
Additional details regarding the team’s discoveries will be presented at an open day held at Margam Abbey Church on January 17th.
Margaret Jones, a retired teacher from Port Talbot with a strong interest in local history, has already secured a ticket and expressed her eagerness to learn more.
“I’m still a bit shellshocked at the thought that this place where I played, where my children and grandchildren have played – that under our feet was this incredible house,” she said.
“It’s out of this world.”
She added that Port Talbot has endured “so many disappointments” in recent years due to significant job losses at the local steelworks, but “this will put us on the map… and we’ll be proud.”
Harriet Eaton, who leads a Young Archaeologist Club as part of her role as Heritage Education Officer for Neath Port Talbot council, described the discovery as “just incredible” and “something we couldn’t dream of.”
“It would be fantastic if there was a community excavation here, [offering people] that hands-on connection to the history unveiling beneath us,” she commented.
Margam Country Park, owned and operated by the local council, already boasts a rich historical landscape, including an Iron Age hillfort, the ruins of a 12th-century abbey, and an impressive Victorian castle.
According to park manager Michael Wynne, the villa find helps fill “a big gap in our knowledge” concerning the events that transpired in Margam during the Roman period.
“It’s a really unusual find this far west and of such a significant size – it will really add to our knowledge of Welsh and local history,” he said, predicting that it will translate into “more visitors to Margam Park, to Neath Port Talbot, and to Wales generally.”
“It’s a really good news story.”
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