The discovery and investigation of the Roman road west of Carmarthen

The course of the Roman road running west from Carmarthen is described. Earthworks and cropmarks define the road, which can be traced for 38km to Wiston, in Pembrokeshire. The destination (or destinations) of the road is unknown. Also described is an excavation of the road undertaken during the construction of the Whitland bypass. As the road here crossed a small peat bog timber-lined drains were constructed prior to formation of the road surface. Two clear phases of road surface were present. Analyses of pollen, beetles and plant remains showed that the road had been constructed through a predominately grassland environment. It is likely that the road was built during the military campaigns of Frontinus, AD 73/477/8, and that it continued in use following the military conquest of the area and the withdrawal of troops in the early second century AD.