The Silures were a strong and battle-focused group of people who lived in ancient Britain. They lived in what is now southeast Wales and possibly some nearby areas. To the north of the Silures were the Ordovices, to the east were the Dobunni, and to the west were the Demetae.

Origins

According to Tacitus's account of Agricola, the Silures typically had dark skin and curly hair. Because of their appearance, Tacitus thought they had moved from Spain earlier than other groups.

Jordanes, in his book Origins and Deeds of the Goths, also describes the Silures.

The Iron Age hillfort at Llanmelin, near Caerwent, has sometimes been suggested as a pre-Roman tribal center. However, some archaeologists believe the people who became known as the Silures were a group of smaller communities with shared cultural traditions, rather than a single, organized society. Although the most visible remains of the Silures are hillforts like those at Llanmelin and Sudbrook, there is also evidence of roundhouses at places such as Gwehelog, Thornwell (Chepstow), and other locations. Additionally, there is evidence of settlements in lowland areas, especially at Goldcliff.

Etymology

The Latin word "Silures" comes from a Celtic language and may be related to the Common Celtic root word *sīlo-, which means "seed." In Celtic languages, words like Old Irish "síl" and Welsh "hil" can mean "family, ancestors, and children" as well as "plant seeds." This suggests that "Silures" might mean "related people or family group," possibly showing a belief that the group came from a shared ancestor. Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel suggests that the Silures may have been called "silo-riks," which could mean "rich in grain."

Roman resistance

Around AD 48, the Silures fought hard to stop the Romans from taking over their land. They were helped by Caratacus, a leader and prince of the Catuvellauni tribe. Caratacus had run away from the east after his people were defeated by the Romans.

At about the same time, a Roman leader named Publius Ostorius Scapula attacked the Deceangli, a group living in the northeast of what is now Wales. Not much is known about this attack. Over the next few years, Ostorius fought against the Silures and the Ordovices, two other tribes. Caratacus led the Silures’ resistance. He had fled from the southeast of England after the Romans conquered his homeland. He first led the Silures, then moved to help the Ordovices. There, he was defeated by Ostorius in AD 51.

The Silures did not give up. They used hit-and-run attacks to fight the Romans. Ostorius said the Silures were so dangerous that they should be either killed or moved to a different area. These threats made the Silures even more determined to resist. They surrounded and attacked a large Roman group that was building forts in their land. The Romans barely saved the group, but many soldiers were lost. The Silures also captured Roman soldiers and sent them to other tribes to unite them against the Romans.

Ostorius died before the Silures were conquered. After his death, the Silures defeated the Second Legion. It is unclear if they were finally beaten in battle or if they agreed to stop fighting. Roman records suggest that Sextus Julius Frontinus, a Roman general, eventually made the Silures surrender through several battles around AD 78. The Roman writer Tacitus wrote about the Silures: “They were changed neither by cruelty nor by kindness.”

Romanization

To help the Roman government control local groups, a military base called Isca (later known as Caerleon) was built in the middle of tribal lands.

The town of Venta Silurum (also called Caerwent, located six miles west of Chepstow) was created 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 large Roman walls around the town still remain today. Archaeologists have found a forum, a temple, bathhouses, an amphitheater, shops, and many homes with mosaic floors. In the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, the Silures were given some independence and responsibility for local administration. As was common, the Romans paired their gods with local Silurian gods, and the Silurian god Ocelus was linked to Mars, the Roman god of war.

Caerwent seems to have remained important after the Romans left, serving as a religious center. The land once ruled by the Silures 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 traditions continued from the Silures 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 using the term "Silurian." The poet Henry Vaughan called himself a "Silurist" because he was from South Wales.

The geological period called Silurian was first described by Roderick Murchison in rocks found in the lands once inhabited by the Silures, which is where the name comes from. This period happens after the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, both of which also have names based on ancient Wales.