The Silures ( / s aɪ ˈ lj ʊər iː z / sy- LURE -eez or / ˈ s ɪ l j ər iː z / SIL -yər-eez ) were a strong and battle-focused group of people in ancient Britain. They lived in an area that is now southeast Wales and possibly some nearby regions. To the north of their land were the Ordovices, to the east were the Dobunni, and to the west were the Demetae.

Origins

According to Tacitus's biography of Agricola, the Silures usually had dark skin and curly hair. Because of these traits, Tacitus thought they had migrated from Spain earlier than other groups.

The dark skin, curly hair of the Silures, and the fact that Spain is across the sea from their homeland provide evidence that people from Iberia arrived in these areas long ago.

Jordanes, in his book Origins and Deeds of the Goths, describes the Silures. He notes that the Silures have dark skin and often have curly black hair. In contrast, the people of Caledonia have reddish hair and large, flexible bodies. Jordanes compares the Silures to the Gauls or Spaniards.

An Iron Age hillfort at Llanmelin near Caerwent has sometimes been suggested as a pre-Roman tribal center. However, some archaeologists believe the Silures were not a single, centralized society but a group of smaller communities with shared traditions. While hillforts like those at Llanmelin and Sudbrook are the most visible remains of the Silures, other evidence includes roundhouses at Gwehelog, Thornwell (Chepstow), and other locations. Additionally, signs of lowland settlements have been found at places like Goldcliff.

Etymology

The Latin word Silures comes from Celtic languages and may have been based on a common Celtic root, sīlo-, which means "seed." In Celtic languages, such as Old Irish (síl) and Welsh (hil), words from this root can mean "family, descendants, lineage, or children," as well as "seed" related to plants. This suggests that Silures might mean "related family members" or "group," possibly showing a belief in being descended from a shared ancestor. Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel suggests that the Silures may have originally been called silo-riks, which could mean "rich in grain."

Roman resistance

The Silures strongly fought against the Romans around AD 48, with help from Caratacus, a military leader and prince of the Catuvellauni. Caratacus had fled from the east after his own tribe was defeated by the Romans.

In AD 48, the Roman commander Publius Ostorius Scapula launched the first attack on the Welsh tribes. He first targeted the Deceangli in the northeast of modern-day Wales. However, little is known about this part of the conflict. Ostorius spent several years fighting the Silures and the Ordovices. Their resistance was led by Caratacus, who had escaped from the southeast of what is now England after the Romans conquered that area. Caratacus first led the Silures, then moved to the territory of the Ordovices, where he was defeated by Ostorius in AD 51.

The Silures were not fully defeated and continued to fight the Romans using guerrilla tactics. Ostorius claimed the Silures were so dangerous that they should be either killed or moved away from their homeland. These threats made the Silures more determined to resist. They surrounded and attacked a large Roman force that was building forts in their territory. The Romans barely managed to rescue the force, but suffered heavy losses. The Silures also captured Roman soldiers and sent them to neighboring tribes to unite them and encourage resistance.

Ostorius died while the Silures remained unconquered. After his death, the Silures defeated the Second Legion. It is unclear whether the Silures were defeated in battle or simply agreed to surrender. However, Roman records suggest that they were eventually subdued by Sextus Julius Frontinus through a series of campaigns ending around AD 78. The Roman writer Tacitus wrote about the Silures: "non atrocitate, non clementia mutabatur," meaning the tribe "was changed neither by cruelty nor by clemency."

Romanization

To help the Roman government control local resistance, the Romans built a legionary fortress (Isca, later known as Caerleon) in the middle of tribal lands.

The town of Venta Silurum (Caerwent, six miles west of Chepstow) was founded in AD 75. It became a Roman-style town, similar to Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester), but smaller. An inscription shows that, during the Roman Empire, it was the capital of the Silures, whose ordo (local council) managed local government for the area. The town’s large Roman walls still remain today. Excavations found a forum, a temple, baths, an amphitheatre, shops, and many comfortable homes with mosaic floors and other features. In the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, the Silures were given some independence and responsibility for local administration. As was common, as shown by inscriptions, the Romans paired their gods with local Silurian gods, and the local deity Ocelus was linked to Mars, the Roman god of war.

Caerwent seems to have remained in use after the Romans left as a religious center. The Silures’ territory later became the 5th-century Welsh kingdoms of Gwent, Brycheiniog, and Gwynllŵg. Some theories suggest King Arthur was a leader in this area. Evidence shows cultural continuity from the Silures through the Roman period to the kingdom of Gwent, as seen in leaders of Gwent using the name “Caradoc” to honor the British hero Caratacus.

The term "Silurian"

Sometimes, this time in Celtic history is referred to as the "Silurian" period. The poet Henry Vaughan called himself a "Silurist" because he was from South Wales.

The geological period called Silurian was named by Roderick Murchison after studying rocks in the lands once home to the Silures people. This period comes after the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, which also have names based on ancient Welsh history.