Abergavenny
About
A fort was raised here around 55 CE to watch the mountain routes into the Welsh interior, rebuilt at least twice more before 70 CE as unrest continued. It measured some 120 by 110 metres and stayed garrisoned continuously into Trajan's reign. Rome finally withdrew its soldiers around 160 CE as military priorities shifted away from the Welsh Marches. A civilian settlement grew up around the abandoned fort and lasted into the fourth century.
What happened here
Five hundred men, sometimes a thousand, recruited from a province rather than from citizens, and often stationed a long way from where they were raised. Cavalry units get a bigger fort and far more stabling; the smell tells you which kind you are in before the plan does. The layout copies a legionary fortress at a quarter of the size — headquarters, commander's house, granaries, barracks, a bath house usually built outside the walls because of the fire risk. Duties are patrolling, escorting, customs, and policing rather than pitched battle. After twenty-five years a man is discharged with citizenship for himself and his children, recorded on a bronze diploma he keeps for life. A village grows outside the gate within a decade.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →