A remarkable archaeological discovery on the outskirts of Port Talbot is dramatically reshaping our understanding of Roman Britain in Wales. Far from being a windswept outpost, new evidence suggests this part of south Wales was a significant and civilised centre of agriculture.
A 'Lifetime Find' Beneath the Deer Park
Using ground-penetrating radar, researchers from Swansea University have uncovered the footprint of what could be the largest Roman villa of its kind ever found in Wales. The structure lies hidden beneath the surface of Margam Country Park, a historic deer park near the M4 motorway.
Alex Langlands, an associate professor of heritage and history at Swansea University and the project lead for ArchaeoMargam, described his astonishment at the scale of the find. "It's a lifetime find for me, the park and the community," he said. "We suspected there was something Romano-British there but we didn't for a moment think it would be as significant as this."
The villa is set within a large enclosure measuring 43 metres by 55 metres and features a substantial building to the south-east, which may have been a grand meeting hall or a storage facility for agricultural produce.
From Frontier to Civilised Centre
This discovery challenges the long-held narrative of Wales in the Roman period. Previously, the story was dominated by military sites: legionary forts, practice camps, and roads. "It's always been around conquest," Langlands explained, "which hangs like a lead weight around Wales's cultural identity in many respects. But this paints a different picture."
The presence of such a grand villa indicates the area was not an unstable frontier zone but a settled, prosperous part of the Roman empire. Langlands suggests the site, likely dating to the fourth century AD, is comparable to the luxurious stately villas found in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Dorset. "It suddenly feels like we were less out on some windswept frontier," he added.
Exceptional Preservation and Future Hopes
The project team has affectionately dubbed the site "Port Talbot's Pompeii." While not buried by a volcanic eruption, the villa has been exceptionally preserved because the land has been a deer park for centuries, possibly since Roman times. This has protected it from the destructive deep ploughing common in agricultural areas.
"Fingers crossed, we're hopeful that we're going to have a pretty good level of survival in there," said Langlands, noting that surveys indicate intact floor surfaces and wall foundations. The exact location is being kept confidential to protect it from illegal treasure hunters, known as 'nighthawkers'.
The ArchaeoMargam project is a collaboration between Swansea University's Centre for Heritage Research and Training, Neath Port Talbot council, and Margam Abbey Church. For Langlands, this villa is the missing piece in Margam's rich historical puzzle, which already includes Bronze Age, Iron Age, and medieval heritage. "This is the missing piece of the puzzle," he concluded, revealing a sophisticated past long before the era of steelworks and coal mines.
