How the Celtic Silures Tribe Fought the Roman Invasion of Wales
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2022-01-14

How the Celtic Silures Tribe Fought the Roman Invasion of Wales

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The Silures were a powerful Celtic tribe that inhabited the lands of south-east Wales during the time of the Roman invasion of Wales. They were fierce and warlike, and resisted Roman conquest. 

Originally, this Celtic tribe may have had their roots in Spain before settling in Wales. As the Roman historian Tacitus wrote:

“The swarthy faces of the Silures, the curly quality, in general, of their hair, and the position of Spain opposite their shores, attest to the passage of Iberians in old days and the occupation by them of these districts.”

Silures is a Latin word with a Celtic origin, perhaps from the Celtic root silo, meaning seed.  This may suggest that Silures meant kindred or stock, although some have interpreted the name in a more practical sense, with Silures potentially meaning rich in grain. 

As opposed to a centralised tribe, the Silures can perhaps be thought of as more of a confederation of smaller tribes that lived in the area and were bound by similar cultural traits. These traits allowed them to unify in times of crisis. In line with other Celtic groups, the Silures base of operations and capital was a hillfort, thought to be the town of Llanmelin. 

In the initial period of resistance to Roman conquest, the Silures were led by Caractacus, the King of Trinovantes tribe of the area around Essex in eastern England. Caractacus had fled to Wales to stir-up resistance after some initial defeats against the Romans in England. He became a military leader of the Silures for a period in resistance against Roman conquest, before moving on to led another Welsh tribe who opposed Roman conquest, the Ordovices tribe of north Wales, but more on the Ordovices in a future video.  

After Caractacus left, the Silures continued to resist Roman rule, using guerrilla warfare tactics effectively. They were such a nuisance to Rome that the Roman Governor of Britain, Publius Ostorius Scapula, called for the Silures to be exterminated or transplanted. On one occasion, the Celtic tribe surrounded and attacked a Roman legionary unit that was building Roman forts in Silures territory. The Romans were only rescued by additional Roman forces, but with heavy casualties suffered by the Romans. When Ostorius died in 52 AD, the Silures were far from conquered. 

Sources:

Silures, Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/Silures 

Ordovices, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordovices 

Roman conquest of Anglesey, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_conquest_of_Anglesey 

Silures, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silures 
 
Creative Commons Imagery:

(© Crown copyright (2013) Visit Wales) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Caerleon_Roman_amphitheatre.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

Steve F-E-Cameron (Merlin-UK) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:006SFEC-CARDIFF_CASTLE_SILURES_V_ROMANS.JPG  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

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Notuncurious https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wales.Roman.Conquest.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

Roman Walls, Caerwent by Chris Andrews https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Walls,_Caerwent_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2955840.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en 

Steve F-E-Cameron (Merlin-UK) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:007SFEC-CARDIFF_CASTLE_SILURES_V_ROMANS.JPG Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

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 #History #WelshHistory #Silures