In 2022, a group of workers undertaking road improvements in Wales chanced upon the remains of a Roman soldier buried with his sword and regalia. But something was odd about this burial – the Roman mercenary was buried face down – a practice that was never a positive way of disposing of the deceased. Now new reports reveal that nails have been discovered near his neck, back, and feet, suggesting the soldier was also restrained at death.
Barry and District News UK reported that the discovery of the Roman mercenary, who was between 21 and 25 years old at the time of death, was made near Five Mile Lane close to the town of Barry in south Wales. The burial was excavated by Red River Archaeology and was found to date to between the 3 rd and 4 th centuries AD.
Archaeologists believe they have unearthed the human remains of a Roman Mercenary at the Five Mile Lane site in Wales. ( Rubicon Heritage Services Ltd )
Unearthing a Roman Mercenary in Wales
Barry, a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, is located on the north coast of the Bristol Channel, in the southeast of Wales. Roman presence here is not unsurprising because of previous discoveries, including several farmsteads on the site of Barry Castle and Biglis, and a magnificent 3rd century Roman 22-room building, with cellars, a central courtyard which was discovered in 1980. The find at Glan-y-mor was believed to be associated with naval activity, a supply depot perhaps.
“It’s great to learn that the archaeological study at Five…
