Roman Coins at a Pembrokeshire Fort Revive the Legend of Emperor Magnus Maximus’s Camp, but Do Not Prove It

Archaeologists excavating a Roman fort near Frenni Fawr in the Preseli Hills of north Pembrokeshire, Wales, have found two late fourth-century Roman coins. The fort lies about 3.5 km south-west of the hill’s summit. A medieval Welsh tale places the emperor Magnus Maximus at Frenni Fawr, so the coins have revived interest in that legend. The finds do not prove that Maximus visited the site, or that this is the camp the tale describes.

The fort

Dr Mark Merrony, a Pembrokeshire-born Roman specialist associated with the University of Oxford, identified the fort in 2024. The enclosure measures roughly 180 m by 150 m, with the rounded-corner outline typical of a Roman auxiliary fort. Researchers estimate it could have housed about 500 troops. A geophysical survey points to substantial buildings inside, and a road runs through the site. The exact location is withheld because of concerns about unauthorised searching.

What the latest dig found

Beyond the two coins, the team recovered Roman pottery, building tiles, an iron writing stylus, compacted floor surfaces and wagon ruts. The fort was previously thought to date mainly from the 1st to 3rd centuries, and the coins do not show how long a garrison stayed.

The legend

Magnus Maximus, known in Welsh tradition as Macsen Wledig, was proclaimed emperor by troops in Britain in AD 383. He later built power on the European mainland and was defeated and killed in 388. The medieval Welsh tale The Dream of Macsen Wledig, part of the Mabinogion, links him to a military encampment at Frenni Fawr. Reports note that the legend was written down centuries after the events it describes.

What to keep in mind

Late fourth-century coins fit the period of Maximus, but they could reflect any activity at the fort in that era. Further excavation and analysis are needed to establish the sequence of occupation and what the late fourth-century material means. The hero image is an artist’s impression of a Roman fort, not a photograph of this site.

Sources

Details come from the Pembrokeshire Herald (12 October 2026), JugaNews and FTMQ, which relay The Guardian’s report of the same date. We could not open The Guardian directly, and the research is expected to appear in the magazine Antiqvvs. Image credit: Mark Merrony, via The Guardian.